Obvious Grief
by animeroxsmyworld
Summary: "Because no one's grief goes unnoticed by the Earl." FMAXDGRAYMAN
1. Crossing Paths

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist, or Dgray-Man.**

**Authoress Note: I was shocked at how little FMAxDGRAYMAN stories there were. Even just watching the shows, I was thinking of different scenarios that could play out between the two.** **So here I am, attempting my own story. Oh and when people die, they get the knowledge about akuma and the earl, just so that I don't have people being like "how do they know about the akuma?" and what not. **

**Be warned, there will be character death.**

**Oh and before I forget, I know people will probably correct me with the spelling for Ishbal/Ishval, and Rizembool/Risembool, but I'm sticking with Ishbal and Risembool. I don't know why, I just like it better.**

* * *

**Obvious Grief**

**By: animeroxsmyworld**

**Chapter 1: Crossing Paths**

* * *

"What…what do you mean…dead?" Alphonse whispered hoarsely, dread dragging it's claws across his chest, making it hard for him to breath. Sharp sobs broke the air as Winry's shuddering body continued to cry out into the morning, tears rolling down her red face and darkening the table cloth beneath her.

He was forced to take a step back as her cerulean blue eyes peered over her tiny arms to look up at him, the shattered grief and devastation reflected in them crushing his very being.

"Don't be stupid Al! They're plain dead! My mom and dad are dead!" She shouted, her voice cracking and wobbling horribly. Al could feel Edward shift next to him, the older Elric braving a step into the grieving household despite the female's distress.

"But…but how? I thought they were just doctors?" He questioned, voice going high, the boy confused at how two doctors as cheerful and kind as the Rockbells had just gone and died doing work that saved people lives. How could the opposite happen?

Winry's body shook harder as she buried her face in her arms. "They went to go be surgeons in the war in Ishbal. There was a surprise attack." She choked out wailing even louder.

The cries were like sharp blows to the boys and Al fumbled to try and comfort her, stepping slowly inside and placing his stout, transmuted horse on the table next to her. He fumbled for the right words, hoping that they would be comforting at a time like this. He wanted to do something that would ease the heartbreaking grief that was consuming his female friend.

"Winry, our dad's gone too you know. We still make it ok." He offered kindly, his voice sympathetic and soft as the words fell out of his young mouth.

Anger swelled inside of her at his words, bubbling like acid inside of her. With a vicious sweep of her arm, his horse was sent tumbling to the ground below as Winry launched herself upright, face red with a mix of anger and tears.

"Shut up you idiot! You're dad just ran off but my parents are both dead! They can't ever come back!" She shouted with all the rage she could muster, propelling herself to her feet as she did so. How could he be so blind! Couldn't he see that?

What on earth did he know?

Al flinched away from her instinctively, watching as her lip trembled, Winry struggling to hold in the angry words that threatened to spill out of her like a tirade.

No one had noticed Ed entering the room as well until he bent to pick down Al's fallen creation, his movements silent and swift. His whispered words cut through the air like a knife and caused Pinako to tense up.

"That's not necessarily true. I read it in a book. There's this artificially made thing called a homunculus. It's sort of a living doll without a mind to begin with. But some scholars believe with alchemy, and if you're willing to give up enough-"

"Stop!" Pinako barked sharply, causing all three kids to jump.

They had forgotten she was there.

"They'll be no talking like that in this house, you understand me. That's a forbidden science." The elderly little mechanic continued crossly, missing the intrigued look on Winry's face, the hopeful gleam blooming in those big blue eyes.

Could she really have her parents back?

"But Grandma…" Winry pleaded, desperate to hear Ed finish his explanation. If there was a way to get her parents back, she wanted to know what it was! If Ed and Al knew something, they should tell her!

Pinako was quick to turn on her before she could even start.

"No Winry! Alchemy will not solve everything and you can't go around bringing people back from the dead. That is not how the world works. If we were meant to live forever, we would never die."

"Backwards old bat." Ed muttered grumpily under his breath. Pinako's eyes narrowed dangerously before she grabbed the nearest object by her and hurled it at the two boys, continuing this process until they scrambled out of the house like they had been scalded with hot water.

Winry watched their retreating backs for a second before her shoulders sagged, tears stinging at her eyes again. She didn't even jump at the hand that landed on her shoulder in a comforting gesture.

"Why don't you go upstairs Winry?" Pinako advised, her voice laced with as much pain as Winry's. Winry had lost her parents, but Pinako had lost a son as well. She was also grieving. She was just holding it together that much better than the child in front of her.

Winry could only nod in response before fumbling up the stairs to her room where she stayed for the rest of the night, not even coming down for supper.

If Pinako knew what would transpire later that night, she never would've left the poor girl alone. For that night would be Winry's last.

* * *

Winry didn't even consider falling asleep. Her eyes were dry and slightly itchy from crying, she had no more tears left, but they would not seal up with sleep. It just wouldn't happen no matter how much she wished it.

Deep down, she was waiting for the door to open and for her parents to enter the yellow automail house, tired from the war, but still so very much alive.

But it wasn't going to happen.

She wanted to die. It hurt so much, how could this pain not be physical? How could there not be blood somewhere from how much she hurt? There had to be a hole in her heart, if she even still had a heart left.

The blond was so caught up in her thoughts as she sat in her bed, hugging her pillow and staring blankly at the floor, that she didn't register that someone had appeared through the window, the glass pane sliding up soundlessly.

"Hello." A goofy voice greeted.

She jumped in fright, a squeak escaping her lips as she was pulled from her own torturous world. Her eyes snapped up to be greeted with a slightly deformed looking clown.

That was the best way to describe it.

He, she was guessing it was a he, had purplish skin with a permanent grin too big to fit on a normal person's face, the painted grin elongating his demented face. His eyes were concealed behind glasses and he wore a top hat with skulls and flowers decorating the base, his pointed ears sticking out from beneath.

Winry opened her mouth to scream but he continued talking before she could, his voice stealing her words.

"Hold on, hold on, hold on now my dear!" He called out, stepping forward, and raising his hand to try and stop her from alerting Pinako of his presence. Not that he was scared that the little decrepit mechanic could actually do anything to him, but it was the principle of the matter.

Do things quick and sneaky. That's how business was done.

It was sometimes tricky working with children though. They let their emotions run wild, which could either be a good thing, or a bad thing depending on the child. With her, it looked like bad since it seemed she wanted to scream and run away from him. He needed to get her hooked and grab her attention.

"I just came to give you a gift. You lost your parents rather tragically did you not?" He continued jovially.

Winry's open mouth clicked shut, eyes widening.

"How…how'd you know that?" She whispered, despite the fact that she was talking to a ridiculous looking stranger who came in through her window in the middle of the night.

The fat clown, as she named him in her head, only waved his hand as if shooing off the matter. "I know many things, Winry Rockbell. You're grief called to me, so I came to you."

This had to be some kind of dream. Believing that to be the case, Winry continued with the questions that flashed in her mind.

"Who are you?"

"Please, call me Millenium Earl." The clown grinned goofily, his voice as silly as she had ever heard it. Winry was beginning to believe that she had officially slipped off into la la land by accident when the Earl tapped the floor in front of him with the pink pumpkin umbrella he held in one hand.

A light shone on the floor in front of him and Winry watched in fascination as something big, and metal, rose from the wood planks.

Alchemy maybe?

She couldn't be sure. She had only ever seen Ed and Al do alchemy before. If they were here, they could tell her.

Fascination turned to horror as she saw the contours of a skeleton in the center of the metal square.

"This is my gift to you. It's a magical body that I created. You can insert a soul into it and it will be revived. Don't you want your mom or your dad back?" He asked as he placed a hand on the skeletons head and walked to the side of the contraption…almost lovingly.

Winry froze as her thoughts whirled to earlier today. Her conversation with Ed and Al springing to the front of her mind and playing in fast forward.

That was a doll of sorts…

An artificial person…

So…

"A homunculus?" She questioned quietly to herself, her eyes looking at the metal person in a new light.

It actually existed? She could bring her parents back? Hear their voices and feel their touch? It was all true? This could actually happen?

The Earl wasn't done explaining however. "All I need from you is to call out the name of whoever you want to bring back, plain and simple. Then you can have one of your loved ones returned to you. Just say their name."

Winry hesitantly got down from her bed. There was only one doll so who would she bring back? Even being the age that she was, she knew that she could only bring back one. But maybe that was only for right now. Maybe she could bring back the other later.

But who should she call for now, at this moment?

Her mom…or her dad?

It didn't matter that this sounded like magic or anything else that Ed and Al didn't believe in, this seemed so real to her. Her heart was swelling with hope. How did they know that this wouldn't work? Maybe magic really did exist in this world, who said science was the only thing out there?

She needed to believe, she just had to. She wanted her parents back so badly, she didn't care how it happened.

Stepping forward, she outstretched her hand, words tumbling from her lips before she could stop them, her mothers first name pushing to the front of her mind.

"Sara." She murmured.

Lightning flashed in the room making her squeal as it shot at the skeleton, words scrawling across the doll's forehead, the name Sara writing itself in perfect cursive underneath a star that suddenly appeared on the doll's forehead.

The head jerked causing Winry to flinch before a voice that she wept with joy at hearing spoke her name.

"Win…ry…?"

Winry sobbed, tears rolling down her face. "Mom! Oh mom, you're back!" She choked hoarsely, wiping at her face, the crushing weight on her chest shattering into thousands of tiny pieces. She didn't care that the thing before her was just a metal skeleton, her mom was back from the dead! It was a miracle!

"Winry, what did you do?"

The rage in her mother's voice made her start, eyes going wide. "Huh?" She gurgled wetly.

"What did you do to me? I'm an akuma!"

"Akuwhat?" Winry repeated in confusion, stepping back in fright as her mother made angry motions, freeing herself from the confines of the metal square.

A hand suddenly stopped Winry backing any further and she looked up into the face of the Earl, his eyes not even trained on her, but instead fixated on her mother. "Oh Sara, my darling akuma, kill this girl for me please. Then you can wear her body as your own."

Horror crashed over Winry like ice, her heart beating loudly against her ribs as his words echoed in her head.

Kill?

Her?

Her mom was going to kill her?

Her mother?

No…no…that wasn't right.

She had to of misheard.

But her mom gave an angry howl and charged, the wood underneath her metal feet shuddering as she barrelled towards the blond.

Winry didn't realize she was screaming until she felt her lungs struggling for air, her brain barely registering that the shrill noise filling the air was her own voice as she tried to scramble to the door, jerking away from the Earl's hand and stumbling with blind panic on her way to the handle.

A metal body collided with her own tiny one before she could reach it, the sound of crushing bones echoing through the air as her skull smacked cleanly against the wall,, her ribs shattering from the momentum of the impact.

The Earl watched with gleaming eyes as blood sprayed the walls, the screams turning into a watery gurgle as the audible snap of the spine broke through the air, the jerky movements of the struggling child coming to a complete, disturbing, stop in an instant.

He merrily hummed 'Happy Birthday' as he watched the metal skeleton slide into the girl's now broken body, her legs kicking about as Sara took over and tried to fit herself into her new form. Waving his umbrella, he wiped away all the blood, showing no signs that something out of the ordinary had transpired here.

The sound of pounding footsteps made the Earl cock his head. The other occupant in the house must've woken up. Glancing back he saw the girl's body rise, her hands slowly making fists before uncurling them, checking the movements of her newfound form.

The gaping, purely revolting wound that ran across her throat was healing, one of the many wonderful akuma skills that some possessed, the blood receding before only a tiny, jagged pink line showed that damage had been done to the female before him. And even that would disappear in a few minutes.

Her face was that of a killer…of an akuma, the only emotion being the tears that silently slide like silk down her face.

"Be free my child, and kill all you can." He order merrily, tipping his hat to his new creation, his devil horns glinting in the moonlight.

She nodded firmly and he disappeared out the window, his work now done and Winry now dead to an oblivious world.

* * *

"Brother, have you noticed anything strange about Winry lately?" Al asked Ed, the two boys lagging behind the mentioned female as they walked home from school. She was insanely quiet and barely spoke or ate anymore, yet none of the adults seemed concerned by her change of behaviour. They acted as if her behaviour was perfectly normal.

Ed frowned as he watched her back.

"She lost both of her parents Al. Imagine what we would be like if mom died." Ed provided sympathetically after a second of thinking. She was probably still grieving in her own way, it only had been a couple of months since the news reached Risembool.

And everyone grieved in their own way…took their own time.

Al's eyes fell to the ground, his shoulders hunching up to his ears. "I don't ever want to think about that." He whispered. The two boys walked in silence, Ed in contemplation, Al in sadness until eventually, they reached the point in the road where they separated from their female friend.

"See you tomorrow Winry!" Ed called out good naturedly. His mother encouraged their friendship with the girl, even more so now that her parents were gone. The slight incline of her head was the only sign to show that she had heard him as she walked down the path to her house, the Elric brothers frowning as they watched her go.

Though they were learning not to expect a verbal response from her anymore. The fact that she had even inclined her head was, in itself, an improvement. It showed that she had at least heard them.

"I hope she begins talking again." Al murmured as they turned and walked up their own path to their own house. They were greeted to the sight of their mother, Trisha, standing at the kitchen counter, cutting up some apples with a frown marring her face.

Which was odd because she was usually happy when she was cooking or baking.

"What's wrong mom?" Ed questioned as he closed the front door behind him, Al already inside the house and disposing of his school bag. Her green eyes slid over to her two boys and her frown was replaced with a small smile.

"Oh just some sad news in town again. Mr. Miller passed away yesterday so I thought I would send the family something to show my sorrow at his passing." She supplied as she expertly passed the knife through another piece of apple.

She turned and offered a few slices to the two who took some graciously, sitting at the table to watch her work. And to wait to see if they would receive more snacks.

"There have been a lot of people passing away recently." Ed commented with a frown as he chewed, his words muffling slightly. There had been Mr. Miller, Ms. Keita, Lucy, Tina, Anthony, Adam, Tracy, Ms. Lithmin, Cole, Mr. Jenkins… he was sure there were more but he couldn't quite remember all of them.

With the passing of each person, his mother baked a pie.

He regretted his words immediatley as his mother's shoulders sagged, looking like she was going to collapse where she stood. But she didn't. She was merely weighed down by grief and worry. "Yes, there has." She replied softly after a moment of silence, her knife cutting into another apple. In a small town like this, it was quite unusual for so many to die so soon without it being some kind of sickness or pandemic.

Though she knew what the cause was. A murderer was loose in Risembool, a murderer that no one could find. Some of the villagers were frightened to do day to day things that required them leaving the house and a few kids had been pulled out of school so that they wouldn't have to walk to and from the building that was so far from their homes.

Though the murderer seemed to only attack at night. Or at least for the time being anyways. But it was still a scary thought. With the town being as small as it was, there were no strangers. It put her on high alert because, unless the murderer was a random stranger who decided to take residence in town, she knew this person.

She knew them, laughed and chatted away to them. Like any friend would.

And so did most everyone in town. And that was a chilling thought indeed.

"Mom?"

She started slightly, surprised to find herself staring at the apple pieces in front of her, knife paused in it's descent. How long had she spaced out?

She turned brightly to face Al, the one who had called out to her. "Yes?"

"We're going to go outside and play." He informed her, already hoping off the chair and joining his older brother who was already making his way towards the front door. She nodded though a seed of fear planted itself in her stomach, blossoming as the door swung shut and her kids were out of her sight.

Was it safe?

Was Risembool safe anymore?

* * *

Winry stood over the dead body of Mrs. Boon, the elderly woman gaping lifelessly at the night sky overhead. The moon hung in the sky, the only witness to the bloody scene below.

But the moon would tell no tales.

Winry strode out every night to fulfill the mission the Earl had given her, her form degenerating back to that of a lowly, level one akuma made of what appeared to be guns and a balloon with a face as she sought out those who still lurked the streets at night.

Despite her low level and lack of more complex thoughts, she knew enough about survival to not blow her cover and kill the other occupant that resided in her house. That and the two boys that seemed insistent to follow her everyday. They were the only hindrance that prevented her from killing in the broad daylight.

She needed them to keep her cover.

If it was blown she would be found and _they _would come.

Winry's blank face finally twisted into something akin to fascination as her blue eyes closed, a humming something vibrating through her throat. She could feel energy pumping through her body from her latest kill, echoing through her and resonating with the energy of all the other people she had killed.

Then like a snap, thoughts flooded to her head, emotions following shortly after. Memories followed by, choking, confusing, suffocating emotions, and loyal thoughts to her creator. She gasped, staggering for a second before looking down at her hands.

She didn't look different in her human body but she could feel stronger power in her veins…

"Did I kill enough people? Did I achieve level two?" She whispered in wonderment as she stretched her arms out to the moon above.

The silent moon that told no tales.

That had to be it. She was thinking after all. Level ones tended to just go around mindlessly, without thought, without feeling. Living corpses really. They were just weapons for killing.

Only when an akuma killed enough did they evolve.

They became level two's, advanced killers able to blend into society and kill within limits. Truly terrifying creations.

She watched with sick pleasure as her arms formed into sickles. Even her akuma body had changed as well. Letting her eyes slide from the gleaming sickles to the moon that was washing her, she spoke to the sky, up to the Earl who ruled her.

"I'll kill plenty my Earl." She said graciously, a smile of sharp teeth stretching her face grotesquely.

The moon just stared silently back, but if it could, it would weep.


	2. Losing the Warmth

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist or DGray-Man. **

**Authoress Note: I'm so so so sorry for how long it took for me to get this out! My computer kept crashing and wouldn't let me get onto the computer for more than like a minute, and it's very hard to write a story like that. And it didn't help matters that I was trying to write other stories as well. But I found a way to write the chapters even though my computer is sadly, still messed up.**

**Oh and before I forget, landscape wise, all the FMA countries like Xing, Drachma, and Ametris and so forth are all one big continent somewhere down by Australia. Just because it makes things a whole lot easier. **

**Please enjoy.**

* * *

**Obvious Grief**

**By: animeroxsmyworld**

**Chapter 2: Losing the Warmth**

* * *

The murders in Risembool were decreasing drastically as the months passed, and with the dwindling murders went Trisha's wavering faith in the town. She couldn't just up and move after all. She had friends here whom she loved dearly, and this was where she had promised Hoenheim that she would wait for him after all.

What if he decided to come home and discovered she was gone? No, she wouldn't do that.

Not to mention that Ed and Al would be absolutely devastated. That she knew for certain. They would probably be outraged for years if she decided to leave Risembool, even if it was for their own safety.

She couldn't just uproot her family and take them away from everything they knew and loved.

They had told her that Winry was starting to talk in complete sentences to them again. It may not seem like much to them, but it was an improvement. Trisha couldn't wait to see that little blond girl smiling once again like she had so many times before. It would be such a light in this bleak moment of Trisha's life.

She was glad to see that Ed and Al still hung out with her even though she had changed so much…emotionally.

Oh what she wouldn't give to have everything go back to normal. If only that were possible.

* * *

"Oh come on Winry! You haven't been over in ages!" Ed complained as he followed the girl down the path that led from the school and all the way into town, a wood fence accompanying them on one side and separating them from the green pasture's that belonged to the various farmer's in town.

"No Edward." She cut back icily, glaring back at the boy who started for a second at her sharp tone before rising up as much as he could and returned her glare.

"Why not? It's not like you have homework or anything? I was in class you know, I know we didn't get assigned any." He huffed.

"Brother, if Winry doesn't want to come over, just let her go home." Al interjected kindly, though rather sadly. He had been kind of hoping that Winry would come over and play as well, though he wasn't as…outspoken with it as his brother seemed to be. When Winry finally started talking again, they had both assumed she had returned back to normal.

So why wasn't she up to playing with them like old times?

Winry closed her eyes and frowned in irritation as Edward began to argue with Al behind her, their voices grating on her mind. The two boys were so annoying, it was a miracle she had been able to prevent herself from killing them when she was a mere level one.

Granted she was using them for cover then, drawing the suspicion of a homicidal murderer away from her tiny girl body.

She would've never forgiven herself if she was killed before she was able to offer any assistance to the Millenium Earl.

But now the situation had changed.

She was smarter. She didn't need to have people around for cover anymore, not since she had gained the restraint to not go on killing sprees and to actually deploy simple, easy deaths to her victims. If she needed to, she supposed she could kill the two boys.

But until then, it never hurt to have the extra protection that they provided her human cover.

"Honestly, what can she be doing?" Ed's voice interrupted her train of thought, and she almost grounded her teeth. She needed to get him off her case if she was going to sneak out and kill someone today.

She had been good and restrained herself for three months. Hopefully that was enough time to remain inconspicuous enough to not gain the attention of the exorcists, but she couldn't be certain. They had ears everywhere. But she was not going to let Edward ruin the one day she had actually planned to kill someone. She had been practicing to make the deaths look less suspicious, less like murders and more like suicides.

She was not going to stray from her plans because of some obnoxious boy.

Thinking quickly, she said the first plausible excuse she could think of that would get him to leave her the hell alone and wouldn't sound far fetched if he would so choose to investigate the matter further.

And seeing how it was Edward, he probably would.

"I'm training to be a mechanic!" She snapped, whirling around to shove an angry finger in his face. "Now leave me alone!"

* * *

Hoenheim preferred to drink alone, the bar was never really his scene. It was too crowded and sometimes, depending on the place, the smell was horrid. But the weather outside was absolutely terrible and he really needed a drink.

Anything to stop the voices that spoke senseless babble in his head.

"Another please." He called to the bartender as he showed the man behind the counter his empty glass. How many had he downed already? He didn't know. A lot he was sure. Nothing was helping his head. It never really did anymore.

All it ever did was make it lessen, the voices turning into whispers that he could pretend to ignore, if he tried hard enough.

Which he didn't.

"Comin' at'cha." The bartender responded before filling Hoenheim's glass with expert ease. Golden eyes starred down at the drink behind rectangular glasses before he took a small sip, trying to savor it this time.

God knows he didn't for any of the others.

"Celebrating something there? You've had quite a bit don't you think?"

Hoenheim paused before bringing his gaze to the speaker beside him, ignoring the comment. Drinks didn't affect him anymore, his body was growing to strong of a resistance, he could probably drink all night and not feel any different.

The stranger had long crimson hair that spilled over the his shoulders, something white like a clown mask covering half of his face, and a huge golden ball with wings sitting perched like a bird on top of his head.

Strange looking creature that was.

But after a second he noticed the various bottles in front of the man and couldn't help commenting as well.

"It seems you shouldn't be one to talk." He replied as he downed his drink quickly. The man blinked before looking at the glass he himself currently held in his hand and barked out a laugh.

"This? I'm starting to grow a resistance to the stuff from drinking it too much." He admitted before he took a generous swig, amusement evident in his face. Hoenheim could only nod in understanding.

"Cross."

The two men turned around at the rather sharp voice right behind them. Since Hoenheim's name wasn't Cross, he figured it had to be the man next to him.

A giant of a man stood before them, smelling like fish and salt water, his clothes well worn and his hair and beard so grown out it was hard to distinguish where his face ended and his hair started.

"Ah…yes Curt?" Cross asked, a small waver in his voice as he kept his eye trained on the man's face. Or what one would assume was his face. The fisherman really needed to think about his hygiene.

"Your kid passed out in the middle of working for me." Curt said, thrusting his arms forward. It was then that they noticed a white haired child fully passed out in the man's arms, clothes tattered and limbs sprawled out into the air as if he was lifeless.

Cross blinked before looking at the child offered to him. Then he sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Sorry about that. I'll—"

"Let him take a break and I'll get him tomorrow. He'll finish his shift tomorrow at noon." Curt said gruffly, still holding the boy out towards the redhead, waiting for him to take him. Cross looked reluctant before sighing once more and taking the child from the man's huge arms. Curt's tone had held no room for argument.

"Alright." He agreed. Curt gave a single nod before turning around and leaving the bar. "I never should've rode on his boat." Cross muttered under his breath as he turned back around, child still in his arms.

Hoenheim knew he shouldn't be staring at strangers, but he couldn't tear his eyes away from the boy. He looked no older than Ed or Al. No older than eight perhaps. It shot something through his heart and made it impossible to look away no matter how rude it may have been.

But if Cross was unnerved by his staring he didn't say anything. In fact, he looked more uncomfortable holding the child if anything else. He looked like he didn't know whether to drop the poor thing or to continue to hold onto it in his awkward way.

Hoenheim was starting to suspect the redhead had never held a child before. The boy's head had no support whatsoever, his neck lolling back so far it looked like it was snap in two.

He couldn't help interjecting. "You're holding him wrong."

There was a single pause before Cross responded.

"…you good with kids?"

He had to pause for a second at the question. He wouldn't really call himself good with kids. Sure he had two but he had left them, and their mother. That really wasn't something the world's greatest dad would do.

"Uh…"

Apparently Cross didn't require a response because the next second, Hoenheim found his arms filled with white hair, juggling a tiny body and a glass at the same time. "Hey!"

Cross only groaned as he sprawled out onto the counter before him, sipping lazily out of the bottle he held in his hand. "That darn brat. I can't believe he passed out on the job like that." He muttered into his bottle, his words gurgled and hard to understand at first. "If he continues like that he'll never pay off all my tabs." Cross muttered so lowly that it seemed his words were only for his own ears.

Hoenheim didn't even try to eavesdrop on the redhead anymore. He was transfixed with the angry dark red scar that slashed down the left side of the child's face, the bumpy scar trailing from a pentagon etched into the left of his forehead and seeping down over his eye and stopping at the corner of his lip.

It wasn't some normal scar, Hoenheim could tell that much from the pentagon. Something that precise had to be carved into one's own head, he couldn't have received this scar by accident.

What must've happened to him?

"Cross?"

"Mm?" Cross hummed as he set his bottle down with a clink.

"What's his name?" Hoenheim asked, looking over at the older man. Cross actually blinked several times in confusion, the weird metal bird on his head shifting ever so slightly before realization seemed to dawn on him.

"What, the brat? What's it to you?" He scoffed as he waved his hand lazily to shoo off the topic. Hoenheim only watched him with a stern stare that he had perfected in his many years of life. Cross stared at him for a second before looking away. "Allen Walker."

Hoenehim hummed as his gaze returned to the limbs in his arms. He freed a hand, shifting the boy and gently prodded the scar with a gentleness that he hadn't used since he had been around his own children.

"Where'd he get this sc—"

Eyes shot open, the little body jackknifing so badly it caused the golden haired blond to do the same, the stool rocking underneath them.

There was a buzz in the air as Hoenheim found himself staring into one blue eye and one red and black eye, the noise coming from the transparent cog that was churning consistently over the boy's left eye.

There was a second of startled confusion between Cross, Hoenheim, and Allen before Allen opened his mouth and screamed.

* * *

The tingling feeling Allen got when his eye sensed Akuma, made Allen wake with a start, his eye whirring as it activated instantly. His muscles flexed, senses screaming on alert as he prepared for battle. He knew his master would leave him if Akuma ever attacked! Damn that bastard!

Startled gold eyes looked down at him from rectangular glasses and Allen froze in confusion as a face of a man he didn't recognize filled his vision, blocking any sight he might have that would aid him.

At first all he could see was the gold moustache followed by the matching hair scraped back into a low ponytail. But once he was able to move past the sharp face and hair, he felt his blood turn to ice, his heart thud so painfully in his chest he thought his ribs were going to crack.

He had seen souls before. Fighting Akuma with Cross guaranteed that he would learn to harness the powers the cursed eye Mana had cursed him with. They were always skeletons, dressed in what they wore when they died, or bandaged up like mummies depending on how long ago they had died.

He had thought he had learned to deal with it.

But _this_…!

He wanted to vomit.

There were so many souls that he couldn't even begin to count them. There had to be _hundreds!_ And they were bound so tightly together it was hard to distinguish one from the other, making a creature that would frighten Allen for the rest of his life he was sure. With its gaunt face, hallowed, sunken in eyes and skin so paper thin it hung off its bones like parchment. They were moving, falling over each other and tugging at each other's chains as they gagged and made hair raising noises, wailing and crying out to him, all kinds of liquid pouring from their eyes and mouths.

He screamed.

All thoughts of training to be an exorcist wiped clean from his head and the urge to flee rode through him.

Oh _God!_ He had to get away!

He pushed and flailed until he wiggled free from the monster, uncaring that he crashed to the floor and smoked his head on a bar stool, or that he had kicked the man in the face in his struggle for freedom. He didn't care one bit. Winding himself as he hit the ground, he groggily rolled over, his scream cutting off abruptly as he wheezed.

All eyes in the bar turned to the scene but Cross seemed quick to take action.

He was off his bar stool before Allen could finish getting his breath back, his movements purposeful and deliberate.

He didn't know what was going on, but whatever it was, he needed to end it quickly before everything got out of hand. He was before Allen in half a second, big black jacket obstructing Allen from curious gazes. Hoenheim was the only one in a position to see what was going on, but his vision was spotted with pain as he held his swelling face.

The kid had a powerful kick he would give him that.

"Get yourself under control." Cross hissed as he grabbed Allen by the arm and all but yanked him back up to his feet. "He's alright. Just startled himself awake!" Cross called out cheerily into their unwelcome audience. Whether the people were actually interested or not didn't seem to matter as one by one they started to turn their gazes in the other direction, all muttering something or other under their breath as they did so.

"But he's...he's a...a..." Allen was stuttering terribly, eyes huge as he stared at Hoenheim, a look of terror on his features. Hoenheim felt himself tense as the whispered words reached his ears and Cross sent a quick, but very steady and calculating glance his way. What did they know about him? Did this small boy recognize him from somewhere? There was no way he would know just _who_ he was.

No one alive would know him.

Quick, ferverent whispers were exchanged between the two, too low that Hoenheim couldn't pick them up this time, but Allen seemed to be calming, his red and black eye changing to match the other.

_'It seems I've caused quite the scene.'_ Hoenheim thought as he looked back around the bar before letting his eye return back to the two strangers beside him. He decided to pay his tab and slip out without a sound before he brought anymore unwanted attention. And he didn't need to deal with anything more at the moment. He already had voices in his head he couldn't drown out.

He should've never come to a bar.

He never liked them anyways. They were never his scene.

* * *

Winry walked casually through the rain that was falling in sheets from the sky, crashing onto her tiny shoulders. She was walking along the dirt road that connected the nearest town to Risembool, the cart tracks engraved deep into the ground.

She had gotten bored with Risembool. A few years had passed since she had become an akuma and she was still working on keeping her kills under the radar. If an exorcist took her out, how could she continue to help her Earl? But she couldn't just keep killing in the same town or else, eventually, the whole town would disappear. And that would definitley cause a few eyebrows to raise.

So she had started to travel by foot to different towns, missing at days at a time in order to perform her tasks. Sure she still looked like a 7-year-old, her body no longer aging, so she got many people asking her if she was lost when she traveled, but she just killed them if the moment was beneficial. Each time she returned to her current residence at Risembool, she would find the old midget of a woman pacing herself into a worried fit while Ed, Al, and Trisha, with the help of a few other villagers had attempted to scour the village to look for her. The adults in town had started to get concerned about her. She wasn't aging, and was disappearing for days at a time without so much as a word to anyone.

Whenever they found her, they cooed and coddled her like some kind of infant.

This happened each time she left.

She was starting to get annoyed. Stupid humans.

"Oh Winry! There you are! Goodness, you have to stop disappearing like that!"

Winry felt her eyes narrow as Trisha neared her, tall frame safe from the harshness of the rain as a wide umbrella protected her from above. She looked tired, ragged breaths escaping from her as she gripped her umbralla tightly. She must've been looking for quite soom time.

Fool.

Winry had felt something akin to hate towards Trisha over the course of a few years. She was always nosing herself into her business, always showing up and always trying to talk and coddle her. It made Winry's anger spike. Winry would've killed her years ago if they were ever alone together. Usually if they were together in the same place, Ed and Al were with her, or maybe even Pinako, and those three people were key in keeping the facade of sweet little Winry in place.

Trisha's eyes were twin pools of worry and Winry felt her lips pull back into a tiny snarl. How dare she feel worried about her?

She was an akuma! Humans should not be worried about her!

"You not only get Pinako worried when you leave like that, but you get me an-"

Winry didn't know what prompted her to do it. Maybe it was the fact that they were alone, in rain that could drown out any sound, or maybe it was the fact that Winry wasn't in a particularly happy mood. It could've even been the fact that Winry hadn't killed enough in the next town over, but whatever the reason, maybe simply because she was an akuma and she was getting annoyed with bidding her time in the same place, Winry shot a sickle of an arm through Trisha's torso as the older woman babbled away to her, each word she spewed making Winry more agitated.

There was wet gurgle and Winry ripped her arm straight back out from Trisha's stomach, blood splattering high into the air and onto her jacket as she did so, staining her sin plainly for the world to see. Or it would if the rain wasn't pouring down so hard that it would wash it away in seconds.

Like a weight, Trisha lurched forward, Winry side-stepping and watching as the older woman clutched the openly flowing wound before she crashed to the ground with garbled sounds, dark pink blood frothing up at her lips and spilling over her chin.

She felt oddly better.

If Winry could only have known that that single action would spell out her own death.

* * *

Tears flowed like rivers down Al's face as he sat like a statue in front of his mother's grave, Ed standing beside him and staring at it with eyes like chips of ice. Everyone around them were like shadows, fading into the scenery. Their sympathetic words and cries of remorse were lost to their ears, even Pinako's as she went up to say a few words about Trisha and the wonderful life she had once led. It was all a waste.

Even Winry was a senseless blur to them from where she stood among the sea of black, a blank look on her face and her hands carefully folded in front of her.

What would they do without her? Without their mother?

She was everything, the world couldn't possibly exist without her. Without her smile, her laugh, her scolding. It couldn't go on.

Al felt a scratchy sob tear itself from his throat, his chest shaking from the effort to repress the many others that wanted to follow after it and make it transform into a wailing child among all these people. Ed's hand tightened on his shoulder and through Al's blurry vision, he could've sworn he saw his brother gulp in fresh air, forcing down his own secret tears that were falling from the hole on the inside.

The Trisha shaped hole.

They had found her after Winry had gotten back to the Rockbell house from one of her many disappearances. Pinako had been downright furious, yet relieved all at the same time and had demanded where she had been. Like always, Winry said nothing. Her eyes would only gleam with untold secrets as she removed her jacket and headed into the house to let Pinako to continue to yell at her.

It wasn't until later that night, when the search party for Winry was called off, that it came to everyone's attention that Trisha wasn't back yet. A murmur had passed through the town and Alphonse couldn't help the tightness that had gripped his stomach. The search party had regrouped, which didn't take very long, and searched the town once more while Ed and Al waited with Pinako.

Ed had been tense, Al had been sick to the point of vomiting.

They had found her on the road just outside of town, a hole through her stomach. Al had cried and thrown up, and cried some more. He never saw what Ed did, his heart was pounding too fast for him to hear anything but his own heartbeat in his ears, the stench of his own vomit filling his nostrils and the sight of his mother's body in the villager's arms filling his vision and haunting his nightmares for years to come.

The Risembool murderer had killed their mother.

Al couldn't find the will to stop crying even though that had been 3 days ago. He didn't think he would ever stop crying.

A jolt like lightening passed through both him and his brother as they started to lower their mother's casket into the ground, and Al all but jumped to his feet, Ed taking a couple steps forward.

It was actually happening. They were burying her into the ground. Forever. She was dead. Dead.

Dead.

A garbled sound came from Ed and this time Al reached over and gripped his brother's arm, though his own hand was weak and trembling.

The ceremony ended but Ed and Al stayed rooted in front of their mother's grave, sitting on the wet grass. Even Winry and Pinako had left them to their own devices.

"What are we going to do?" Al asked, his voice feeling raw and scratchy. He hadn't used it all day, these were the first words he had spoken.

"I don't know." Ed admitted quietly, his voiced laced with despair.

"But what'll we do without mom?" He cried out in desperation, letting the tears swim in his vision once more as memories of his mother flashed in front of him.

"I don't know."

"But w-"

"Why hello."

The two jacknifed and their gazes ripped to a figure sitting on the headstone next to their mother's. He looked like a fat clown with purple skin and a large top hat on his head with pointed ears poking out from under it, his outfit looking like something a clown who was trying to dress formal would wear. He had one leg crossed with a pink umbrella lying across his lap.

His eyes looked at the two boys and his permanent grin seemed to broaden, eyes gleaming.


	3. Refusal

**Disclaimer: I don't own -man or Fullmetal Alchemist**

**Authoress Note: So my computer was actually so broken that I couldn't even start it, it was as good as a paperweight (literally). **

**But I got handed an old computer when someone in my family got a new one for Christmas so hopefully I can actually continue with my stories again.**

**Enjoy**

* * *

**Obvious Grief**

**By: animeroxsmyworld**

**Chapter 3: Refusal**

* * *

Al was too startled to scream or cry out, his voice frozen inside his very own throat as he locked eyes with the disturbing clown man. Ed all but rocketed up to his feet, limbs flinging in practically every direction in his hurry to protect him and his younger brother from this monster.

"Who are you?"

He meant the question to come out intimidating and ferocious, even though he was still a kid, but it ended up quivering slightly near the end.

A clear flaw in his mask.

Even the fire of distrust and ferociousness that was burning in his eyes was flickering with the clear signs of panic and nerves. But even so, the Earl tried to pacify the two boys.

"Now now, I'm not here to hurt you." He lied calmly, yet soothingly as he raised his hands up into the air, hopping down from the gravestone he currently occupied as he spoke. The simple action of jumping down seemed so strangely odd to Ed and it took his several seconds to figure out why.

He merely floated to the ground, as if gravity was something to be laughed at and had no power over him, his feet not even making a sound when he touched down to the grass.

Edward's skin prickled in alarm.

"Who are you?" Edward repeated, his voice demanding as he took a step forward, his muscles tensing. He needed to be ready in case this weird…thing…decided to come at him or Al. He needed to be the strong one. Mom wasn't there to help them.

Then a thought flashed through his head like pure lightning, making his body freeze, and his breath catch painfully in his throat.

Was this guy the Risembool murderer?

The disturbing looking man only blinked once before he seemed to broaden his smile. "I am called the Millenium Earl." He said grandiosely, his goofy voice so contradictive to his appearance Ed started breathing again, his guard beginning to waver slightly as he listened.

"And I'm here to help you, Edward and Alphonse-"

Ed's guard tripled as their names left his lips.

"-get through this tragic event."

Al's voice floated up from behind the older Elric making Edward whip his head around in startled surprise. "What do you mean?" Al was slightly raised from his sitting position, his gaze fixed on the creepy clown, and his ears open for his words.

"Boy, can't you tell!" The Earl started, taking a few steps forward. Edward countered by stepping completely in front of Al, blocking the younger, although slightly taller, Elric from view.

Al frowned slightly in confusion at his brother's actions while the Earl didn't even notice.

"You've been robbed. Robbed…" He paused before stepping towards their mother's newly placed headstone. "by God. You're mother shouldn't of died, no. It's an unjust, cruel move." He said as he stroked the cold stone with an almost loving hand.

For once, since he started talking, his words had captured Ed wholly and made all the other emotions he had towards the man wipe clean from his body as if they were merely figments of his imagination.

Behind him, Al was mouthing the word 'robbed' as if his brain was slowly processing it, replaying it, and signifying it's meaning over and over again.

The Earl looked at the two children, their silence a sign of their complete and utter attention.

Foolish mortals.

Kids no less.

They were always so predictable.

Twirling his pink umbrella, the Earl tapped it against the ground, eliciting a 'Lero' from the umbrella as it struck the grave soil where, a little to his right and six feet below, lay Trisha Elric in an eternal slumber.

Blue light filled the air and this time, both Elrics squeaked as they scrambled backwards in surprise before Ed got over his surprise and watched the blue light skittering through the area.

Alchemy? No, no, it was something else.

Something that made his skin crawl and his stomach churn.

Something evil.

"Now, strike back against God and take back your mother from his clutches! All you have to do is call out her name and she'll come back!" The Earl cried, his smile ferociously humongous as the light died, a thud ringing through their ears and Al gasping as he looked at the metal skeleton set up like a toy in front of them, the body held in place with rods and frames.

"It's a…body…" Al breathed. His voice full of both awe and fear.

"Indeed. Just say your mothers name and her soul will fill this body I've made for her." The Earl said as he leaned forward on his umbrella.

"Just say her name?" Ed repeated slowly.

That couldn't be all there was to it.

Where was the equivalency?

The logic?

Something had to be wrong.

He managed to tear his gaze away from the skeleton briefly, casting a quick look at the Earl and felt lightning shoot through him as pure alarm rang through every single nerve he possessed, ice seeming to run through his veins.

The look on the clown's face was purely, horrifyingly, demonic.

He wanted to vomit just looking at it.

Al opened his mouth to talk, his voice only managing to make a garbled sound as Ed's hand came crashing over his mouth with such force, his lips bruised, his face twisting into one of pain as he whimpered.

"Don't Alphonse!" Edward warned with a hushed urgency. "There's something wrong! Just look at him! Besides, he's not using alchemy!"

And if it wasn't alchemy, then it wasn't real.

But whatever it was…

The Earl's eyes flashed for a moment before he seemed to quirk his head to the side, bemused. "No? Don't?" He repeated, almost as if he was confused by those words. He 'hmmed' to himself for a second before he lunged his head forward, bringing it glaringly close to Ed's, his breath like fire in the boy's face.

"Are you refusing?"

The look on his face was dangerous, like the look a lion might give a rabbit right before eating it.

Ed shook where he stood, his voice caught in his windpipe. Trembling, he managed to nod his head.

* * *

Junior was nauseous.

The desert heat was pouring into him from every direction, filtering from the boisterously bright sun above and burning like thick waves from the sand below him that threatened to swallow him up if he were to lose his balance.

"I feel sick. Are we almost there?" He asked, panting from underneath the layers of his green traveling cloak which was heavy and sticky with his sweat. He didn't know if he would be able to handle anymore of this if the damn thing was any farther.

"Fool, look up. We're practically there." His master replied gruffly. Much to Junior's chagrin, his master looked perfectly content and at ease, despite the blistering temperature. But he pushed his disdain aside and looked up from where he had been crouched over his knees.

He winced, blinking against the harsh sunlight. When it faded, he could see that they practically were indeed on the doorstep of the ruins of a city, the buildings crumbling and debris spread out against the sand like the remains of a corpse, rocks and glass peaking out every now and then from their grainy skin. Sand had blown in with the wind and had thrown a blanket of earth over the whole place, forming dunes in every nook and cranny, and making the place look like a hidden city without any trace of life.

Junior frowned, his previous whining forgotten. Soundlessly, he followed his master into the ruins, their footsteps the only sounds to greet them. His single green eye flickered boundlessly as his head craned every which way as he tried to memorize everything he was seeing.

Some sand dunes in the city rose higher than him while some of the ground dipped greatly as if it had been scooped out with a giant spoon, perfect for a pool of sand that could easily suffocate him if he were to fall inside. Some buildings look like they had been blasted to bits from the inside and as they continued to walk to, what Junior was sure would've been the centre of town, a strange yet familiar smell tickled his nose.

The shorter, almost bald man leading him didn't even turn his head once to look at any of these sights. He just led the way like a silent puppet, his gray twirl of hair bobbing up and down when he walked.

"Where is this?"

There was a long silence and Junior wondered if the elderly Asian had even heard him.

"Ishbal."

Junior blinked before his brow furrowed in thought, processing what he had heard. Ishbal? He remembered hearing something about a city called that a few years ago. What was it? Ishbal. Ishbal. The Ish—

Junior's eye widened and he spun on his heel with a vigor he hadn't had before. He could see it now. Bones, tiny and forgotten, peaking through the bits of sand as if someone had erased the invisible ink that had been hiding them. A single hair ribbon caught on a broken window hung limply in the air.

A shoe.

A toy.

A crushed skull underneath a rock.

Scorch marks on the rocks.

Bullet holes in the wood.

After all these years, the smell that was even haunting his noses lingered in the air. He could name it perfectly now. The air was thick with the metallic smell of blood, gunpowder, and death. "The Ishbalan Rebellion." Junior said quietly as he looked around, understanding in his eyes.

Bookman just watched his pupil as a range of emotion spread across thirteen-year-old's face before he managed to make himself indifferent. Calculating. The skills of a future Bookman.

Bookman said nothing as Junior wandered through the town, inspecting what he could. Instead, the elder lost himself in the memories of war and a time when this city was alive with people. The dark skin and red eyes, bright clothes and earth tone houses. The unbearable heat, yet cool nights.

A time when, as a Bookman always trying to capture events first hand, he had hidden in with them, watching as their town, their lives, and their souls were destroyed.

Bookman started himself out of his thoughts, his sinuses beginning to burn at the scent of blood that had somehow managed to linger through the years. He turned sharply and followed after the red haired teenager before he lost himself.

He was starting to feel nauseous.

* * *

Despite Winry's best efforts, rumors of the murders of Risembool had spread. Or the Risembool murderer had spread to be more exact. It wasn't big enough to be heard internationally, or even by towns in other countries. Heck, the newspapers didn't even write an article on it.

But somehow, some people could always find stuff like this out.

Like Cross.

Cross heard of the rumor in only a couple days of it being leaked, but dismissed it quickly. Not to mention that he wasn't quite sure where Risembool was though if he ever did get interested enough, he could probably deal with that problem by looking at a map.

Besides, if his basic knowledge of geography was right, Risembool was in Ametris somewhere. He was currently in Ireland. He didn't feel like worrying about killers that were continents away.

"But what if my cousin gets killed?" His female companion pouted, obviously offended when he pointed this out verbally. Cross didn't know what to say so he shrugged.

She either died or she didn't, those were really her two options in a matter such as this. Claire, his companion, huffed and stood up from the bench they had been sitting on. Cross blinked before watching her go.

He had been drinking and he had overall been having a good time, so he honestly didn't feel like getting up and going after her if that was her intention. Instead he watched until she disappeared from sight before he reclined on the bench, bringing the wine bottle the two had been sharing up to his lips and taking a swig.

After a moment of perfect silence to himself, he called out to his golem where it sat on the bench rail. "Timcanpy." It whirred in response, wings unfurling.

Opening it's mouth, the golem shot out a recording of Cross' conversation with the girl, the story of the Risembool killer playing once more for the redhead's ears to hear. He waited for it to finish before he nodded, Timcanpy swallowing the light of the message before a series of different whirs and clicks emitted from the small golden ball.

Cross never liked doing work. That's one of the reasons why he left the order in the first place. But like any faithful citizen who heard gossip that knew someone else might care about even though he didn't, he passed the message along. Though rather anonymously so as not to give the order his location.

Heaven knows they would be barging after him, trying to drag him back to that place.

When Tim finished Cross closed his eye and continued to drink his wine in peace. Now the Risembool murderer was somebody else's problem.

* * *

To this day, Ed and Al didn't know how they were saved or who saved them. One minute the Earl was jerking his umbrella wielding arm back with the promise of immediate death, the next he was jumping sideways as a shower of blue sparks shot right past Ed's nose making his heart pitter in his chest.

The Earl's attention was immediately diverted as he turned sideways, gracefully leaping up onto a headstone, the Elric brother's pushed to the back of his mind. "Oh?"

A man stood near the entrance of the graveyard, dressed in a black and white uniform, a hood pulled over his face and his arms notching a glowing blue bow and arrow that cast various patterns on the scenery around him.

"An exorcist?" The Earl hummed as he cocked his head to the side.

"They're here! Lero!" The umbrella cried, and the two brother's would've been startled by it if they weren't frozen by their roots at the turn of events that were taking place.

Who was this guy? What was going on? Was he going to save them? Thank god he showed up when he did!

The exorcist, as he seemed to be called, remained as calm and silent as the night as he stared down the Earl, arrow notched expertly. The Earl only looked at him before looking down at his umbrella.

"It seems they're butting in." He said conversationally before his eyes all but shot up to the mystery man, anger burning in the yellow orbs. He took off like a bullet and the man let his arrow fly.

It shattered a gravestone as the Earl jumped over it, the clown pulling a sword seemingly from the air and watching with twisted enjoyment as panic entered his opponent's eyes.

The exorcists scrambled backwards, notching another arrow but the Earl took the sky and crashed down on the male as the arrow whizzed horribly off course past his shoulder and into the endless sky beyond.

Blood showered the grass and the marble headstones nearby as the Earl's sword sliced through the man's torso, from his neck down to his waist. There were choking, howling, and then garbling wet sounds as the man sputtered and convulsed on the grass.

"Innocence, we should get his innocence." Lero spoke up, making the Earl turn his attention to the bow clutched pathetically in the man's hand. As if sensing the Earl's gaze upon it, the wood of the bow splintered and broke revealing a glowing green orb hidden within.

"I get something from this trip after all." The Earl said, his tone jovial and merry once more as he bent to pick up the innocence, only to crush it in his hands, turning it to a fine powder.

Lero only made a noise of agreement.

And then they were gone.


	4. Find

**Disclaimer: I don't own Dgray-man or FMA**

**Authoress Note: I feel awful for not having updated this in so long. I work on the chapter bit by bit but it never gets finished and then after awhile time just seems to grow until it seems like forever since I last updates. **

**Sorry. Please enjoy this chapter.**

* * *

**Obvious Grief**

**By: animeroxsmyworld**

**Chapter 4: Find**

* * *

"Is that the guy?" Winry asked, her face like a rock's as her voice pinched into something that seemed like a mix of fear, anger, and anticipation all in one. It was rough and deep though Edward didn't seem to notice.

"Yeah, he saved my and Al from a crazed weirdo last night." Ed supplied, his eyes watching attentively as people moved cautiously around the corpse down below. They moved around with uncertainty and wariness weighing down their limbs, making their movements jerky and abrupt as they danced around the fallen man.

The two brother's had run straight to Pinako as soon as they realized that they could move without dying shouting frantic nonsense words and shaking violently when they were no longer running. They had almost brought the whole town stumbling down to the graveyard in the early evening light.

At spotting the body, and letting the severity and the reality of what the boys were actually saying sink in, Pinako had personally ushered the two all the way back to the Rockbell house claiming that they should stay put until everything was sorted and that they needed their rest. But the hours passed and Ed grew absolutely restless, the opposite of Al who fell asleep like a sack of potatoes in the spare room, his little body completely spent from the dramatic experience just hours before.

But Edward's mind was practically whirring with energy, his heart thumping in his chest and his nerves skittering with energy. He didn't know how Al could just collapse like deadweight like he had.

So Ed, and strangely enough Winry, snuck out of the house to catch a glimpse of the corpse. The blond female had seemed oddly eager to go see it.

Ed hugged the tree he was hiding behind tighter as he heard one of the adult's begin to talk, the wind carrying their voice rather nicely to the boy's ear.

"Where do you suppose he came from?" One of the council members asked, small eyes fixated on the strange uniform the deceased man wore, black with silver trimming. Risembool wasn't exactly a hotspot for visitors. Hardly anyone new ever came to town.

"Well wherever he came from, he certainly won't be going back." Another man answered from where he was crouched down near the body, lifting the arm up into the air before letting it fall back limply to the ground with a thud to emphasis his point.

Dead.

That wouldn't be changing.

Not like anyone believed otherwise. He had practically been cleaved in two, the area around him a pool of his own dark blood the stained the grass and splattered across nearby gravestones.

"He has to be from some organization or something." Someone pointed out. "He's wearing some kind of uniform. But it's not a design I recognize."

"Like you know all the organizations out there." Someone scoffed.

"I never said I did!" The man, Mr. Twill, rounded. "All I know is that out of the ones I do recognize, this isn't one of them!" He defended, pudgy face screwing up in defiance.

There were grumbles and hums as the adults continued to talk to each other, oblivious to the young kids watching them from only a few yards away, hidden among the bare trees by the graveyard gates.

"He's an exorcist."

The new voice startled everyone and Winry's breath whistled through her teeth in a repressed hiss as a man walked right past her, through the graveyard gates, his voice booming down in response to the people below, breaking through the noise like a foghorn through the silence.

His presence wasn't overall remarkable or worth commenting in of itself, but his foreign voice, clothing, and the device strapped to his back made his impression note worthy as he walked purposefully to the fallen exorcist, eyes roaming over the man's features with grave regret and remorse.

Pinako was the first one to regain her thoughts after this surprise. "Who're you?" She asked as she stepped forward, eyes narrowing at the newcomer. He didn't look threatening but then again, Risembool wasn't accustomed to newcomers.

He looked at her before offering a wane smile.

"I'm Thomas Morrison, a finder." He stated simply as if that explained everything, before he knelt down next to his fallen comrade, his beige cloak rustling from the movement.

"I would like to take his body back to Headquarters. It—"

"Just hold on a minute." One of the council members said, stopping Thomas before he could continue. "What the hell is an exorcist and a finder?"

Questions and answers began to pour out like random chatter down below while Ed wrinkled his nose slightly in confusion, straining to try and catch it all while his own questions floated to the front of his head.

"He wants to travel with a dead body?" He asked in confusion to no one in particular. "Hey Winry, don't you think th—" He started, turning his head to only have his words die in his throat.

Her hands were balled into fists at her side, her lips pulled back into a snarl and tiny tremors shaking her body.

She thought she had been careful!

She had kept her cover for so _long!_

_How dare they show up! _

She snapped around with a snap and strode towards town, her steps sharp against the ground and her face twisting into something truly horrible and simply becoming of the monster inside of her.

If they were already coming there was no point in holding back anymore.

* * *

It pulled at his mind, intriguing him like nothing he had ever come across before.

Cross could easily admit to himself that he was the most knowledgeable exorcist about akuma there was at the time. Hell, back when he was still in the science department for the Order, he had tinkered around with an akuma they had captured and had managed to modify it, although it had imploded on itself a minute later leaving no evidence of his achievement. But he had still done it and with time he was positive he could perfect the technique.

He knew the best way to kill a level one and level two akuma. He had yet to encounter a level three and God if the Earl even thought about making a level four he didn't even want to imagine it. But he knew what to look out for, their behaviors, and their body structure and little things like that.

He thought he had seen it all.

Yet…

The kid never joked around when it came to akuma and souls, and with an eye his cursed eye from Mana, Cross had a very hard time doubting him. Not that he would ever admit that out loud. He wasn't about to help the boy's ego any bit, that wasn't how he trained people.

But…

Allen had thoroughly piqued his interest.

Or he should say, the akuma of a million souls piqued his interest, as Allen had so dubbed the stranger.

If only Cross would learn to not let his interests guide his life.

* * *

Hoenheim was always on the move.

He traveled from town to town, stopping briefly to visit their libraries or their bars and not really paying attention to anything more. He only ever stayed for two or three days before heading out to the next town, continuing his research for mortality.

It was extremely rare that he stayed for as long as a week and a half in one place, but in Berlin that just happened to be the case. Maybe he was feeling sick, or maybe there was just something about the city that called for him to linger there.

Whatever the case, Hoenheim found the days going by as he toiled in the same city. He was falling into a routine before he knew it, waking up, heading to the library, eating at one of the many café's down by his hotel, taking a walk, going back to his hotel and then going to sleep.

It went on like this for another week until his routine was broken by a rather large golden ball.

He didn't see it at first, yawning as he walked down the street to the library. A shop window flashed it's reflection at him for a brief second making the blond blink before staring at the window in confusion.

Slowly he turned and stared at the golem that hovered lazily in the air a few feet behind him like a sort of obedient puppy that he didn't remember getting. Its wings fluttered in the air and the sunlight was making it gleam as it seemed to stare back at him.

A vague sense of familiarity poked at him as he continued to look at the thing before turning back around.

Had he seen that thing somewhere before?

He couldn't be sure?

It was definitely an odd creature.

Now why did that thought seem like déjà vu?

Hoenheim walked down another street, turned a corner, walked down another street before stopping and looking behind him.

It was still there.

Why was no one else paying attention to this thing? Looking around he found that indeed, no one paid the golden ball any sort of mind. Was he going insane and seeing things or was he for once, out of his element?

"You're following me…whatever you are."

It seemed to hum in response before edging just slightly closer. Could it think? Hoenheim didn't know what to make of the thing, yet he found himself holding his hands out towards the golem where it seemed happy to land after a moment's hesitation.

His hands dropped considerably as he grunted from the sheer weight. "You're heavier than you look." He managed as he adjusted and hoisted the golem back up.

It was silent as its wings came eerily still and Hoenheim found himself wondering what to do. He had taken it out of impulse really. But it wasn't like he could just put it back. He didn't know where it belonged.

But now what?

What _was_ it even?

Releasing a sigh he tucked it under one arm and continued his way down to the library.

* * *

"Master?"

"Huh? What do you want?" Cross asked rather sharply as he continued down the street, his one eye scouring the street for a hotel. Preferably a cheap one though it didn't really matter because Allen would pay off the debt anyways.

There was silence for several moments forcing Cross to stop and look over his shoulder at the white haired youth. Allen was several paces behind, his head barely visible above all the luggage he was forced to carry, and his eyes looking skyward in random directions.

Cross watched him for a second, glanced at the absent sky, and frowned when it became apparent that Allen had forgotten to voice his question. If that kid was going to bother him with a question he should at least goddamn finish it.

"Oi!" He snapped loudly, getting the child's attention like a slap, wide eyes turning on him fearfully. "What is it you stupid apprentice?"

"Where's Timcanpy?" Allen rushed out, words slurring together in his hurry. Ah, he was wondering when the brat would notice.

"He's fetching something for me." Cross replied as he turned back around, waving his hand casually as he continued on his way down the street, Allen's steps thudding softly behind him.

The white-haired boy's brow furrowed in confusion, his mind racing with images of all the kinds of thing's Timcanpy could possibly be retrieving for his master.

* * *

When Thomas arrived back at the Black Order, exorcist' corpse in hand, the Risembool murders suddenly rushed to a top priority. The small little farm town in Ametris had drawn a few questioning eyes when the number of murders had been reported to them, but it had never seemed to warrant more action than that. But when the town was mentioned in a message from Timcanpy, Marian Cross' own golden golem, it was decided that the town was warranted a search.

But for the exorcist they sent to come back dead sent a sudden stir. The small farm town suddenly climbed on the Order's priority list. Had it been an akuma? Was there innocence? God forbid if it was something more dangerous than an akuma.

"I'm sorry, I don't know." Thomas replied honestly when they had questioned him. He hadn't been with Jaxson, the exorcist, at the time of his death so he didn't know whether it was an akuma, or anything bigger than that. The moment they had reached the town, they had parted ways against Thomas' better judgement, Thomas leaving to begin talking to any towns people he might find and Jaxson just leaving to wander the streets.

He had been an excellent exorcist. Almost good enough to be a Marshall.

A normal akuma couldn't do him in.

No.

It had to be something else.

An order was sent out for nearby exorcists to investigate the town.

* * *

Ever since finding the golden golem, Hoenheim was prepared for something to happen.

Anything really.

His senses were on alert as he looked down each street carefully, looking for anything out of place or strange, still managing to look nonchalant as he went about the affair. His time at the library had been cut considerably short because, although he could usually lose himself in his books, he couldn't concentrate with the golem sitting like a foreboding motionless lump.

It hadn't moved the whole time it had been with him though every now and then he could swear he could hear a soft whirring noise coming from it.

"Timcanpy!"

Hoenheim almost yelped in alarm when Timcanpy suddenly shot out of his grasp, wings coming out of its body like bullets to sustain itself in the air. It hovered for a few seconds before it crashed headlong into a young boy who had dropped all the luggage he had been carrying to catch the golden ball, a look of delight on his young face.

Hoenheim found himself frozen in place.

He had never recognized a stranger so quickly in his life before. Blue eyes looked up at him, gold locking with blue, and Allen's face drained of color. Apparently the same could be said for him.

"Ah, finally found you." Cross said as he made his presence known from Allen's side, Hoenheim's eyes switching to him slowly. He had been watching as Allen's eye turned red and the boy began to shake, his fingers digging into Timcanpy as his mouth opened and closed soundlessly.

"Found me?" Hoenheim asked, his eyes fully settling on Cross with a look of mild interest. He hadn't known he had done anything noteworthy enough to warrant a search. Cross however, ignored him and turned his attention to the stricken child.

"Brat, go on to the hotel." He started before snapping when he realized Allen hadn't heard a word. "Go!"

Allen charged into motion, grabbing all the luggage off the ground, Tim flying back onto his rightful place on Cross' head, and took off like a rocket down the street without a second's hesitation, as if fire was at his heels.

Hoenheim frowned, watching him go. He would like to learn what he had done to that boy. As he disappeared from sight he turned his attention to the redhead in front of him, the single eye looking back at him cold and calculating for several seconds as Hoenheim felt himself get looked over. Cross was muttering to himself before he blinked, his eye meeting Hoenheim's and his lips pulled back into a smirk that should've been disarming.

It wasn't.

"Let me buy you a drink."

* * *

Winry disappeared.

No one had seen her since the day of Trisha's funeral, the day they found that exorcists body in the graveyard. The last sight anyone had of her was Ed's recollection of her storming angrily back into town, fists balled and snarl on her face.

Pinako had grown frantically worried, though she put on a brave face for the brother's who were residing in the house with her now. She barely ate during supper and when she thought she was alone, she would just stare blankly out the window, unmoving and mouthing words to herself.

It reminded Ed of his mom, when she would stare at the window endlessly, daydreaming of their father. Minutes, sometimes hours passing without her moving an inch.

It made him sick with worry.

Sure Winry had disappeared before, every now and then, but as of the past few days, murders had spiked drastically since their lull the past couple months. Eight people had just died yesterday, blood spattering the main streets as their bodies lay skewed across the road and hillside, mouths agape and slashes across their abdomens.

All of them in different parts of town.

The Risembool murder was going strong with a vengeance it seemed.

But that was only yesterday. And Risembool wasn't a big town. It would only take a month or two of this action before the town got wiped out. A warning was issued to all the townsfolk to remain indoors at all times unless necessary until they caught whoever was responsible.

Whoever it was, Pinako prayed they never found Winry.


	5. The Pull

**Disclaimer: I don't own FMA or **

**Authoress Note: Really sorry for how long it took to get this out but I've recently moved and the whole packing and unpacking process is always so time consuming for me. Not to mention the whole readjusting to your surroundings thing. **

**Oh and remember, if I ever get anything wrong with the characters, like their background or their age or anything like that, please feel free to let me know and I'll try to fix it as quick as I can. **

**Anyways, here you go.**

* * *

**Obvious Grief**

**By: animeroxsmyworld**

**Chapter 5: The Pull**

* * *

Cross had ushered Hoenheim into the nearest pub he could find, a small little thing with bright lights and few customers. Despite the staff member's best efforts, the place stank of booze and grease but that really couldn't be helped. When inside, Cross was quick to find a vacant table and order a tall bottle of liquor, waving about some money that he had stolen from Allen.

It was a considerable amount but Hoenheim suspected that there would be none left for the poor boy by the end of their little visit. He waited in absolute silence as Cross harassed the female waitress who served them their drinks, Hoenheim thanking her like a proper gentlemen before their conversation began.

It was about an hour before Hoenheim realized that all that they were talking about was absolutely nothing. It was idle little things like the weather, crops, travelling, towns, nothing particular or personal. The only personal thing they had probably shared was their names.

It was another half an hour before Hoenheim began to get irritated, his brow furrowing as he began to stare into his glass. He could doing some more research right now. Across the table Cross was watching him intently like he had been the whole entire time, calculating every response he made, his behaviour and even how he moved.

Cross had finally found Allen's famed akuma.

And things weren't adding up.

Everything was off.

His behaviour, his speech…even his smell. Akuma's had a certain scent that was very subtle, but was definitely distinguishable.

He didn't have it.

When Hoenheim moved Cross blinked, brought out of his whirl of thoughts.

"Ok," Hoenheim sighed as he put his glass down on the table. "What is it?"

"Hmm?" Cross inquired simply, plastering a lazy smile on his face as he took a sip himself. He wouldn't show whatever confusion or disappointment he might be feeling, he didn't exactly function like that.

Showing your thoughts was a dangerous move, especially on the battlefield.

Hoenheim just shook his head. He was old, old enough to know when someone wasn't getting to the point and was talking useless babble. Idle conversation that meant nothing. It was something that he wouldn't have, it never did please him.

"Enough with the pleasantries." He started as he leaned back in his chair, eyeing the man who was seated across from him. "You've obviously been looking for me, for what I can't claim to know. But just ask or say whatever it is you've been wanting to say. Enough beating around the bush."

Cross continued to stare at him before his lazy smile slowly melted, his face serious underneath the mask of nonchalance. He could end all his questions right now, end this inner debate with himself whether this man before him was an akuma or not. Allen's eye wouldn't react to nothing. This man caused…something.

If he was an akuma, Cross knew just the thing to bring out his true nature.

Hoenheim straightened in his seat when Cross leaned on his elbows, his fingers lacing in front of his face. His single eye glinted as he whispered two single words.

"Millenium Earl."

There was silence as Hoenheim strained to hear the words, so quietly whispered it was like the man had barely puffed them out at all. After a second Hoenheim's brow only furrowed further, his lips turning down into a frown.

"What?" He asked, his tone fading into a whisper as well. If Cross was whispering shouldn't he whisper too?

"Do you know the Millenium Earl?" Cross pressed on, shifting so he looked absolutely relaxed as he picked up his forgotten cup once again, but his eyes were as intense as ever. As if Hoenheim's life hung on the simple answer to this question.

"No I'm afraid I don't." Hoenheim answered evenly.

Cross continued to stare at him for several more moments before his whole body seemed to slump, the redhead practically sinking back into the chair he was seated on.

"Well fuck." He swore into the air, speaking at a normal volume once again. Hoenheim blinked but before he could open his mouth to say anything the younger man continued. "If you're not an akuma just what the hell are you then?"

His finger twitched, jaw clicking shut.

"I'm…just another sad human." He answered after a moment.

Cross snorted. He doubted that was the case.

"Where're you from." Cross asked. Hoenheim gave a wary smile, so they were getting to the personal stuff now. He ignored the wails of the voices in his head as they all tried to provide their own answers to the exorcists' question.

_Xerxes _"Risembool."

A brow went up but Cross said nothing. That was the place where all those murders were happening wasn't it? He stored that interesting piece of information away for later.

"Family?"

Hoenheim felt his finger twitch again as memories flooded his mind. Again, he took a few seconds before he answered. "A wife and two kids." He saw Cross open his mouth but decided to beat him before another question could be ask. He didn't exactly like to delve in his personal life. "You?"

"Orphan." Cross shrugged. Hoenheim nodded, as he went way back to his early memories, back when he was slave 23. He didn't know his family, he only knew his teacher.

He supposed perhaps, he too had been an orphan.

To his surprise they continued talking well into the night and like he had predicted, Allen's money was gone.

* * *

Edward's head jerked up as a flurry of tapping hit the window, the young blond scrambling off the bed quickly in a mess of limbs and scattered papers.

"I'm coming." He said quickly as he rushed to the bedroom window and threw it open, Alphonse greeting him from the other side, a smear of dirt decorating his cheek. The window to their bedroom on the second floor was considerably close to a tree that had yet to be cut down for firewood for the winter. As it was, it made the perfect escape route for the two brothers when the town's lockdown seemed to drive them to insanity.

"Did anyone see you?" Ed asked as he helped his brother bridge the gap from the tree to the window, grabbing onto his younger brother's sleeves as Al's face twisted into one of complete concentration as he focused on not falling.

"I don't think so." He admitted as he finally touched down on the hardwood of the bedroom, the heavy book bag at his side swinging from his movements. The two looked at it, the bag practically bursting at the seams with the amount of books shoved inside of it before Al hauled the bag off and upturned it onto the bed.

Books of all color and size tumbled out, the two staring at the pile for a second before looking at each other and grinning.

This had all really started when they were put under lock down. Forbidden to leave the house until the Risembool murderer was caught. With Pinako slowly degrading mentally and all the books in the house being about either medics or mechanics, the two had become absolutely bored. They had really tried everything to keep themselves occupied inside the Rockbell house, even bothering to crack open a few medical textbooks, but it was useless. The boredom continued to come back to them, harder and harder each time they tried to alleviate it.

It didn't matter that their house was only a short distance away, all their toys and books just a few minutes away. A single, unwinding path would take them there.

They were not to be let out.

So they snuck out.

Ed figured if they were together it might draw too much attention so they took turns. At first it had just been a few toys and basic alchemy books. But then it grew until they eventually had their father's whole study in their room, his books stacked in haphazard piles and random forts that made the room an absolute mess. They had his books, his notes, anything alchemic really. The room thankfully was a spare room which at one time had been used for patients, an extra bed housing some of the books, enough to let Ed and Al have freedom to sleep in their own beds.

Now that they had all the books they needed, they could just lose themselves for hours in the simple, logical rules of alchemy and equivalent exchange.

* * *

Winry hated waiting…and hiding…

But she was smart, smart enough to know when to hide. And with her body as tiny as it was, there was a ton of places she could fit into. It also helped that the town was practically under lockdown until they found the Risembool murder, ie her.

True, even if anyone were to stumble across her, or the whole town were to come at her, she could still kill them easily, but it was the fear. She loved it, craved it even.

The fear she saw in their faces when she killed them quickly, quietly. The fear she saw in their faces when they realized that someone else had been murdered and they had no clue who had done it.

It was simply…amazing…

Akumas really were monsters weren't they?

She felt a grin pull across her face, only for boredom to pull it away as she sighed and continued to tap her feet methodically against the crate she had hidden inside. In a small alley space between two buildings stood a stack of crates, just far enough in the shadows to avoid the naked eyes. Most were hallow and big enough to fit the body of a tiny little girl.

It was here that she had holed herself up for the day.

A half hour passed and she honestly contemplated just running into the street like a lowly level one when she felt it. A pull on her naval like a hook pulling a captured fish.

She started, staring down at her stomach. She had felt this feeling only once before, the night when Trisha had been buried. But that time it had come and gone so quickly that she had hardly processed it at all.

It pulled hard and she forgot her predicament, throwing her crate covering off herself as she propelled herself to her feet.

"What…is this?" She grumbled to herself, a hand going to her stomach as the feeling remained. She took a single step before she broke out into a trot, literally following her gut. What very few townsfolk dared walk the streets didn't even glance at her as she went running past them. Oblivious fools.

She turned corners, fled down streets until she saw him, the feeling in her stomach erupting into a tingling sensation that warmed her body. She fought down the physical urge to snarl as the man blinked and looked over at her, his pale skin contrasting vastly with the dark blackness of his exorcist uniform.

"Hello?" He greeted, brows rising in surprise as he looked at her. The smile that she managed was so forced it actually pained her muscles, though she still managed it.

"Hello." She greeted back, her voice sounding choppy and a little hoarse even to her own ears. He gave a single nod to her in acknowledgment before turning back to the map he held in his hand. Either he was double checking his location or he had become lost. He still looked fairly young, probably just turned of age, and obviously new to the job. A first-timer perhaps?

Either way it was a huge mistake.

There was no one else on this street and the tingling in her body was driving her insane.

Insane enough to risk daylight.

Still staring at his map he began talking. "Hey girl, this is Risembool right?" He asked as Winry began to walk slowly over, her footsteps light against the ground.

"Uh huh."

He nodded to himself, seemingly satisfied as he began folding the map back up. When the last corner folded Winry lunged, closing the distance between them as her arms changed to sickles. Brown eyes snapped up and he moved faster than Winry would've thought, his body leaping backwards and his hands pulling a spear away from the strap across his back.

This time she didn't conceal her snarl as she skid to a halt, brown eyes assessing her.

His shoulders drooped ever so slightly as he took the sight of her in, letting it register into his brain. "Man, I hate when it's a kid." He confessed out loud. Winry only glared hatefully.

She had never had her kill have the potential to actually end her before.

He inhaled before letting his breath out in two simple words. "Innocence…activate."

The spear seemed to spit to life as light shone from it, lightning dancing across it and sparking the air. Winry felt the hair on the back of her neck rise, her body lowering into a defensive stance as she took a single step away from the weapon, the innocence.

She could feel her body begin to change in response to its presence, her human disguise shedding. She grew taller, skin flushing a light purple, metal scales and armour crisscrossing over her torso as her teeth sharpened, turning pointy. Her sickles gleamed as they overtook her arms and she felt the man before her relax.

He was used to the sight before him. It was familiar territory.

She was no longer Winry. She was an akuma.

* * *

Cross would never go anywhere because someone told him to. He just wasn't that kind of person, never had been and never would be. He went wherever he desired. Wherever it best interested him.

Then again, he had yet to fully explore Ametris. Where exactly was this Risembool? It seemed to be coming up a lot lately.

Maybe it was worth stopping by.

* * *

Triston was a little disappointed. By the sound of the mission request for this place, he had expected Risembool to be swarming with akuma, all kinds filing in out of every unspeakable place. A town worthy to warrant the worry of the Black Order.

Instead he got a single akuma dressed in a child's body.

One. Single.

…he was disappointed.

He hid his emotions from his face as he leapt out of the way of her sickles and struck his spear upwards, the glowing blade slicing through the top of her shoulder and causing her to shriek as she dashed backwards, electricity skittering across her body from the wound.

He didn't give her time to relax as he twirled the spear before planting it into the ground, bright waves of electricity shooting towards her like claws. Her eyes narrowed and she rushed forward, sickles coming out and crashing against the waves as she pushed forward, a high squeal from the metal filling the air before she cut through and continued running towards him, tendrils of smoke clinging to her.

Triston scowled as he readied himself, ducking under her wild swing, the butt of his spear ramming into her temple before he turned and swung the spear around for her neck. She moved, dancing out of the way so quick that it only managed to graze her neck, a long red line of blood decorating her flesh.

Triston let a small smirk appear on his face as he blocked her attack with his spear, noticing the silent pain its electrical current caused her as she continued to push against it. Still she persisted before eventually giving in and jumping away.

She was sloppy, almost like an amateur. Attacking out of instinct.

He could win this.

Better to do it quick before he happened to get nicked and the akuma virus infected his system. Winry lunged at him once more but this time he caught her by surprise by running straight at her and body checking her, the bluntness of the move surprising her to the point where she was actually falling to the ground, Triston on top of her.

Despite his slender build, he was surprisingly heavy. He shifted faster than she could, sitting up so he took up her chest, his knees pinning her arms to the ground, just above the metal of the blades.

"What are y—" Winry started to hiss as she thrashed underneath him before her eyes widened a fraction. Her arms weren't moving, a fact that was driving into her skull much faster when he ground his knees even harder into her arms.

She was pinned.

He smiled openly down at her as he hefted his spear carefully, positioning the tip just at the tip of her nose, the thing sparking with electricity and innocence.

It made her body numb and tingly.

This was it. If only she could just move her arms. Maybe she could extend her sickle. This couldn't be it. Not now, not by this exorcist. If he would just relax for just a second!

She suddenly felt more aware of everything. His weight, the form of her akuma body, the gravelly path of the town's street, the afternoon sun nearly blinding her, the tinkle of the nearby windchime from the nearby store, probably abandoned by lockdown….everything.

She thrashed harder.

His eyes glinted, his mouth opening as he tightened the spear. "Now-"

A scream pierced the air and Triston's eyes snapped up quickly, his spear scratching to the side as he saw a lady from town stare at the scene in front of her in horror, her basket of groceries splayed across the ground like pieces of glass.

Fwish!

Triston went rigid as two sickles pierced his ribs, sinking deep into his chest. Blood gathered quickly, his eyes rolling before everything splattered a dark crimson as the sickles disappeared, his body falling limply to the side.

"What do you know, I can extend them." Winry whispered in shocked awe as she rolled out from underneath his corpse, her body shifting back into its human form. Her eyes raised to try and find who had involuntarily saved her life but all she could see was the small back of a lady disappearing in the distance, the faint sounds of 'Monster, a man was fighting a monster!' barely reaching her ears.

Winry turned back to the fallen exorcist, the feeling inside of her still buzzing strong despite his extinguished life. His spear was no longer glowing now that he was no longer alive.

There was that pull again.

She knelt and touched the weapon, yelping as it shocked her fingers. Glaring she made a fist and using all her monster might, smashed her fist into the shaft of the spear, the sound of wood splintering vibrating through the air.

A soft green glow filled her sight, a small ball no bigger than her palm sitting before her, both drawing her and pushing her away all at the same time. She was in awe as she reached down and grabbed it, a feeling of raw power that she had never known before filling her fingers and running through her body.

The sun had never felt so warm before.

* * *

Risembool wasn't known for getting tourists of any kind really. It was just a tiny little farming town. There was only one hotel in the town with barely enough business to scrape by and with the current events being as they were, the concept of visitors was just outrageous.

And yet…

Darrel looked warily over his shoulder to the two hitchhikers he had picked up a little while back. The older man, a redhead, was sprawled out among the pile of hay and wheat while casually sipping from a bottle of beer. The young boy just sat near the edge of the cart, feet dangling over the edge with what looked like a giant golden bird sitting next to his side, the boy petting its metallic body absently.

"You know…" Darrel started up for the fifth time since picking them up, clearing his throat as he did so. "Risembool really isn't the best place to visit right now." He advised. He wasn't even going to Risembool himself, he was just passing by the main path that would lead one to Risembool if they decided to follow it. He himself lived in one of the nearby towns, close enough to hear the gossip and murder stories.

The boy just looked at him before looking over at the older man, clearly waiting for him to speak up. The redhead simply waved his hand in pure dismissal, not even bothering to utter any words.

Darrel sighed, shoulders slumping as he tightened his grip on the reigns in his hands. "Don't say I didn't warn you." He muttered softly.

The rest of the ride was spent in what one could call silence if they didn't count the clack of the old wheels on the ground and the occasional sounds the horse made as it plodded along. Eventually the path widened until it split off, a road sign also split off to help direct travellers towards the various towns.

"This is your stop." He spoke up as the cart lurched to a stop, juggling the two hitchhikers to become aware of their surroundings.

The redhead looked around before grunting and swinging himself off the cart, suitcase in one hand and bottle in the other. The boy simply hopped off, suitcase in hand and the metal bird gliding after him.

"Thank you." The small voice replied, turning back to give a small wave politely while the taller man dressed in black merely grumbled and muttered something into the wind. Darrel nodded towards the child before turning to the man.

"My payment?" He asked. He would love to say that he picked the two of them up because of the goodness of his heart, but the economy of his village was slowly falling downhill and if he could scrape together a few extra bits of money than he would try.

Cross sighed.

"Brat, pay the man."

The boy let out a squawk unlike anything the farmer had ever heard before. "What?!" He cried, hand instinctively going to his pocket. "But master, I—"

Without so much as blinking Cross reached into Allen's pocket and pulled out a wad of bills before either of them could blink, the movement harsh and relentless, as if he did it often. "Here." He said as he handed the entire thing to the farmer.

He turned to leave, walking briskly and with purpose while Darrel sat, staring between the boy and the money warily.

"Master!" Allen cried out in both rage and indignation.

"Hurry up now or I'll strand you here idiot apprentice!" Was the snapped reply.

With guilt moving his limbs, Darrel handed the boy half the wads of cash back and continued on his way, the boy accepting it graciously before running after his master.


	6. Collide

**Disclaimer: I don't own FMA or DGrayMan**

**Authoress Note: I would've liked to have got this one out sooner but recently I've been left with no extra time, seriously. **

**Anyways, for any of you hardcore fans out there who might've been extra diligent while I've been writing, I've decided to point out that the exorcist that Ed and Al met didn't disappear from the akuma virus like most people because he was killed by the Earl. **

**Everyone Winry kills does eventually disappear into dust because in my head I think the process would take a whole lot slower than they show in the anime/manga. So just say that they turn to dust a few days later.**

* * *

**Obvious Grief**

**By: animeroxsmyworld**

**Chapter 6: Collide**

* * *

Scientists at the Order can't say with 100% certainty what happen to akuma when they come into sole contact with raw innocence. Some believe that the innocence obliterates them, a being as evil as an akuma not able to withstand something so pure. They speculate that's why exorcists are able to kill them. Some believe it rewires the akuma to do good things, the pureness of the innocence overriding their bad behaviour. Yet a small fraction of them claim that it all depends on the akuma and the innocence.

Innocence in itself is an unpredictable phenomena. There is no 100% certainty.

Innocence can do anything.

For Winry, it drove her insane.

She lost her mind.

* * *

"This place is so empty."

Cross only gave a grunt that Allen could only assume meant that he agreed. The streets were bare of any people and most of the shops were closed. An eerie quiet had fallen over what looked like a beautiful town, the silence broken by what few stray animals could be seen making their way through the alleys.

Why would his master want to come to a place like this?

Allen wanted to ask but he knew better than to actually voice his question. Cross never told him why he did the things he did, though Allen half expected it was because Cross hardly knew the reasons himself. Or teacher was just a heartless bastard, either option worked really.

"Let's find the inn." Cross instructed as he began walking forward into what seemed to be the center of town. On the other side of town the corpse of a fellow exorcist was slowly getting eaten by the akuma virus, his body slowly degrading and leaving nothing but his uniform and a broken spear.

* * *

Edward frowned as he glared at the notes before him. He had been looking at the same book for hours and he felt like progress was just a delusion. Whatever these notes were trying to teach him just didn't quite click in his head.

"What are you glaring at?" Al asked, the bedroom door clicking shut behind him. Ed's eyes finally tore away from the dry text and found his younger brother watching him curiously, a sandwich in one hand.

"Here, come look at this! Does this make any sense to you?" Ed asked as he thrust the book towards Alphonse and his curious gaze. "You think dad would've left better notes." He grumbled as Al stepped over, silently reading the text.

After a second his brow furrowed, his mouth dropping into a frown.

"I…don't get it." He admitted after another minute before he set his sandwich down and actually grabbed the book from his brother's hand, sitting down to read it over more intently.

"See!" Ed enthused, throwing his hands into the air.

"Maybe there's some more notes left in dad's study." Al suggested absently, his frown deepening before he set the book aside and grabbed his sandwich, taking a bite from it.

"I thought we cleaned out dad's study and moved it all here?" Ed asked, blinking.

Al looked up, as if realizing that he had spoken outloud before clarifying, albeit hesitantly. "Well there was a locked drawer in the desk so I left it."

True he didn't remember his father and the man had left but Al still felt he deserved some privacy if the man went to lengths to actually lock something that he had left behind in the house.

Ed stood looking affronted.

"Al! That could contain some of his most important notes! Why didn't you tell me sooner?!" He cried before turning and heading towards the window, stumbling as he stepped over a number of books.

"Wait! Brother!" Al cried as Ed threw the window open and began making his way outside, lockdown be damned. Hurriedly Al shoved as much of his sandwich as he could into his mouth and followed after his older brother.

* * *

Bethany fell to the ground, her eyes rolling towards the sky lifelessly. Agatha could only watched in stupefied horror before blue eyes turned on her, pointed teeth smiling at her in derangement as Winry turned her blood spattered body towards the frail old woman.

Sickles gleamed.

Agatha screamed.

She tried to run.

Winry chuckled, head rolling to the side like a broken doll before she lunged, the air seeming to part for her and pushing her forward with extra speed as she caught the old woman, sickles slicing through her like butter. She fell to the ground like a bag of wet sugar, Winry stepping over her nimbly before continuing on her way, bloody footsteps trailing after her as she walked.

* * *

Thankfully for them, the inn was one of the few places in Risembool actually open though it didn't seem like it saw much business. Though Allen didn't expect to see many people, or any really considering how empty the town was, the inn itself seemed in slightly rough shape.

The lights were dim, the floorboards creaked no matter where you stepped, it was drafty and there was a water stain taking up most of the left side of the ceiling.

But a roof was a roof and a bed was a bed.

He knew master could do worse so Allen wasn't going to complain, not when he could actually sleep inside a building.

"You…you want a room?" The man behind the counter repeated, looking dumbfounded.

Cross just continued to scowl, having repeated himself for the third time now. "Yes." He started slowly, his teeth grinding as he forced the words out. "We would like a room."

The man continued to stare at him like he had split in two. "You sure?"

Cross' hand twitched violently. Could he punch this guy out? How thick was this man's skull?

"Damnmit Horris, the man said he wants a room! Just give him a goddamn room!" A stout woman from across the room suddenly shouted, turning to glare at the man from behind the counter, screwdriver held threateningly in her hand.

The man seemed to snap out of his trance then, Horris looking around at his wife.

"But dear!" He sputtered, looking frantic.

"If they want to pay for a room don't you dare start turning away business!" She continued, waving the screwdriver at him now, the threat behind her motions clear. Horris visibly slumped, clearly more scared of his wife then of whatever reason it was that led him to try and steer away customers, and reluctantly pulled out a room key from behind the desk.

Cross held back irritated curse words as he exchanged a small amount of money for the key and headed for the designated room, Allen lagging a few seconds behind with all the luggage.

* * *

A call went out to the surrounding akuma the moment Winry touched the light of innocence and claimed it as her own.

Innocence has always been rare in Ametris. For whatever reason, when God had let innocence fall to the land to help in the war against the akuma, he seemed to leave Ametris scarce though it was rumored the people in Ametris had their own type of power.

Akuma have never truly taken to gathering there because of the lack of innocence that could be found. Now level ones slowly started wandering the sky, heading towards Risembool where the innocence was calling to them, beckoning them over.

Buzzes and unintelligible whispers floated between them as they approached the small farming town, their balloon like bodies dotting the cloudy sky like lights as they could now be seen on the horizon.

The same streets that had been empty for several days now had a few doors and windows creak open, heads popping out to gaze curiously at the things in the distance invading the sky despite the multiple warnings for the Risembool Murderer still in place.

* * *

Allen felt it before Cross did.

He was setting his suitcase onto the bed set out before him by the hotel, mentally wondering at the comfort level of the mattress when his whole body went rigid, a zing like he had bit into an active wire lighting his nerves and leaving his mouth tasting like electricity.

He staggered, still hugely unused to this sensation as his eye buzzed and whirred, bleeding to black and red as he stumbled to right himself.

Cross took one look at him before turning his gaze out the window at his right, the view revealing the streets of the town square below. A few people were beginning to poke out of their buildings, bringing life onto the once deserted streets, and pointing up to the sky.

Cross turned his eye skyward and blinked at the moving dots making their way closer and closer to the town, becoming easier to recognize with each passing second. They looked like hot air balloons without baskets to the untrained eye, but any exorcist knew better.

Akumas. A swarm of them.

"Master, what should w—" Allen started as he too stared out the window, eye targeting the Earl's creations. Cross turned sharply without a sound and left the room, Allen squeaking indignantly before he scrambled after him.

* * *

"That lock was easy to transmute, I can't believe you didn't think of doing that before." Ed stated as he inspected the stack of notes in his hands, Al holding the small leather-bound book in his. After simply using alchemy to get rid of the lock the notes and small book had been their reward.

Ed was eager to get them back to Pinako's so they could read them and figure out what secrets they might be concealing. He wasn't someone who could attempt to read while walking, he had tried it once before and had become so absorbed in the book that he had walked right into a tree.

Al had teased him for weeks.

"Hey brother, what're those?" Al asked, pulling Ed from his eager thoughts. Ed blinked, following Al's finger into the sky above. His brow furrowed, eyes squinting as he too tried to look at the balloon shaped beings in the sky.

"Air balloons?" He guessed after a second, shoulders coming up in a shrug.

"I don't think so…" Allen murmured before he started heading towards the town, away from the path that led between their house and the Rockbell's.

"Where are you going?" Ed asked in surprise as he paused to watch Al for a second. The younger Elric just pointed to the sky again.

"I want a better look."

* * *

When the akuma got within distance everything fell into chaos as their cannons began to fire. Shrieks began to fill the air as buildings caught fire, debris flying through the air as building shattered, craters denting the ground as the small hoard of akuma flew overhead. The once deserted streets became flooded with people as they poured out of their houses and shops, all scrabbling to get away from the unknown creatures.

Only two people were fighting against the crowd, making their way to the middle of the street.

Cross swore as he swerved to avoid being knocked over several times, Allen trying to follow his example though he had less experience maneuvering through a mass crowd then Cross did. Eventually the crowd seemed to register them and parted around them, leaving the two in the middle of the street, staring up at the level ones above.

"So you gonna do anything about this?" Cross asked, his gaze never leaving the sky.

"Me? Against all of them?!" Allen cried, eyes wide as his mouth fell open. Was he serious? Allen was still only learning, true he had gotten better with his arm but most of the time it was still a huge effort on his part. He could maybe handle 1 at best! Not 8!

"I thought you wanted to be an exorcist?" Cross asked, the corner of his lip twitching up.

Allen glared blackly at him. _'I'll be a dead exorcist if you make me fight them alone.' _He seethed quietly.

When he only continued to glare and say nothing, Cross sighed. "You really are an idiot apprentice." He muttered before his hand flashed into his coat and the next moment a gun gleamed in his hand, what appeared to be some design of a cross scrawled in the side. With a quick movement, he shot and the bullet flew like lightning, striking four akumas who had been standing in a neat row, the four going stiff in the sky before spiraling closer to the ground.

"There, have fun." Cross sneered as he gestured towards the downed, yet not yet dead akumas. "I held back just for you."

And then to Allen's horror he turned and began walking away with only a two fingered salute towards the white haired child. A clear indication that the rest was in Allen's hand. He was off to find the innocence the level ones were clearly hunting for.

"YOU! STUPID…MASTER! BASTARD! STUPID MASTER!" Allen yelled spluttering after him, face going red from rage. Yet the pressing matter of the akuma grabbed his attention quickly and before he knew it he was running for cover, still swearing profusely in his head while focusing on getting his arm to change into its anti-akuma weapon.

He dived for the side of a building, huddling behind it and peeling his glove off with his teeth as he began to chant in his head.

'_Get in touch with the innocence. Get in touch with the innocence. Innocence. Innocence. Innocence.'_ He chanted, trying to ignore the sound of explosions around him, the ground trembling from the blows as he attempted to connect with the holy power.

His teeth grit together, a headache starting to form before he felt a tingle run through his arm followed by a warmth that spread from his shoulder down to his fingertips, spreading until he felt it fill every pore of his arm.

He opened his eyes and saw the armoured claw like white hand staring back at him, a bright contrast to the deep red, colour that used to envelop his arm. Casting a quick look back to the akumas he inhaled before rushing out to one of the one's Cross had shot down, a battle cry escaping him as he ran.

* * *

They could see the smoke from where they were and it was obvious now that the things in the sky were NOT air balloons that Al could simply go and look at. The two stood frozen where they stood on top of a hill that fell seamlessly into town, the view beckoning onto building being destroyed, fires starting to spread to half the town and people screaming as they ran for the hills.

"…what's happening?" Al whispered in shock, not even turning his head to watch as two villagers went sprinting up the hill and past them only 10 feet away. Ed couldn't even answer him, he simply watched as the fires seemed to grow bigger and bigger.

Risembool was being destroyed.

It was then that a figure drew them out of their stunned stupor, staggering up the hill.

Edward blinked before his eyes rounded. "Winry?"

The girl's head lolled towards their direction and it was then that the strangeness of her appearance registered like an alarm in his head. Her lips were pulled back into a smile that featured unnaturally sharp teeth and sickles replaced her arms, blood soaking her body in patches like she decided to roll in the stuff.

Ed subconsciously took a step back as her head rolled again, a laugh bubbling up from deep inside of her before she lunged towards them, eyes wild.


	7. To Hell

**Disclaimer: I don't own DGrayMan or FMA.**

**Authoress Note: Sorry this was late but I wanted it to be just right.**

**Now obviously I know this is not how Ed and Al are supposed to end up in their state, but this is a crossover story with DGrayMan. Things change. **

**Oh and up to this point Ed and Al don't really have any fighting experience so until they go get some, don't expect their fight scenes to be all epic or anything. Let's be realistic here people.**

* * *

**Obvious Grief**

**By: animeroxsmyworld**

**Chapter 7: To Hell**

* * *

Neither of them had fought anyone before. Their mother frowned on it, even if they were provoked by other kids at school.

But never once had Edward dreamed of fighting Winry.

She sprang towards him and he stayed rooted to the ground, eyes wide in absolute shock as she seemed to cut through the air in a slow arc. Even as his mind calculated all the obvious details that made her obviously NOT Winry, he remained frozen, staring at the predatory smile planted on her lips.

Even as hands forcibly yanked him out of Winry's path he didn't snap out of it until a familiar voice cried out in sheer pain, blood splattering Ed's face and restarting his frozen heart.

"**AL!"**

His body jumpstarted at his brother's scream, his eyes instantly turning to find Winry pulling her sickle out of Al's shoulder, blood pouring from the wound like a river as Al whimpered and sobbed, clutching at the large gash that had been intended for Edward's head.

Winry barely seemed to notice as she hopped back and raised her arms once more, her gaze now shifted to the wounded child set before her. Ed didn't know what forced him to act, he had never figured him to be this stupidly brave before, but the next thing he knew, his hands were pushing Winry.

His stomach dropped like led when she barely budged, his push barely moving her an inch.

Then she spun, her leg kicking out so quickly that the only thing Ed felt afterwards was the solid trunk of the tree, the bark splintering underneath him from the force. Blood speckled his lips as he gasped, his ribs cracking as he landed on the ground.

Despite the pain that lanced through him, he struggled to get to his feet, the noise around him sounding fuzzy and garbled. The thought of Al alone against her made him progress quickly, his feet finding purchase on the ground and the male gritting his teeth against his own pain. His blurry vision began to clear as he got to his feet, the pain in his chest making him hiss.

Winry had lunged at Al again, and out of instinct, he had fallen to the ground, the blond sailing over him. She caught herself before she went too far, one sickle striking the ground and spinning her around to a stop. Edward ran for Al, not sure how he could protect him, but knowing that as his older brother, it was his job.

He had to protect Al from this creature.

"Alphonse!"

He reached his brother, Al staring up at him with frightened eyes, his fear crippling him as he still clutched at the gash on his shoulder as he fought to get back on his feet.

"What's going on brother?" He whispered. Ed couldn't answer. He honestly didn't know.

Winry charged and Ed didn't know what possessed him to do it, to at least attempt to fight, but he brought his leg up in a violent kick aimed at the blond girl's face.

_Swoosh._

He didn't feel anything at first, but then the blood came and he screamed. His leg fell to the ground and he teetered back before crashing on his back, blood flowing from his now attained stump. He howled and screamed as he withered and convulsed, clutching at where his leg had once been. Al stared at the sight in absoluter terror, words slowly whispering from his lips as he watched Ed cry out in agony.

Winry stood perfectly still, watching the sight before her before she took a step.

It squelched loudly on the blood soaked Earth and everything froze, Ed falling silent out of horror as his hands stilled their frantic groping. Together, the two Elric's slid their panic filled eyes towards the akuma before them.

This was it…

They were going to die.

* * *

As much as Allen might want it to, hating Cross wasn't going to kill akuma's for him. It was a real shame because at that moment, he had a lot of hate built up for the red haired man.

"GYAH!" Allen screamed as he reared up and brought his hand down across an Akuma's face, the marks burning with the fire of innocence before the Akuma burst and dissolved. "TAKE THAT YOU BASTARD OF A MASTER!" He screamed when he landed on the ground, a dark look of fury overriding his face.

It quickly disappeared, replaced by panic as he sprinted for cover, a volley of shots fired by another akuma. He rolled behind a stack of debris and inhaled sharply before counting, listening as the shots continued to hit the ground.

He would've been a goner if he hadn't noticed a pattern in each akuma.

Each shot a different number of times before pausing for a minute and a half, and then starting up again. Since each akuma shot a different number of shots, it staggered the times resulting in Allen trying to pick them off one at a time.

He had already gotten two, though he didn't want to admit that it was because Cross had already shot them, weakening them. That one had made three. He was actually starting to think he could do this if he played his cards right.

"4…3…2…1." He mumbled to himself before leaping over his hiding spot and out into visibility. He spotted his target, the akuma in the air floating motionlessly while the others around him continued to fire, and he ran. He leapt up onto broken edges of buildings, his innocence drawing his target's gaze before he leapt off his nearest edge and swung. His hand struck, the claws digging into the balloon like skin of the akuma who let out a silent cry as it began to buoy down with Allen.

Allen cursed as he let go and reached the ground, the akuma still very much alive and ready to fire again in a couple seconds. His aim had been off. Allen had to make quick work of him before he could open fire on him. He turned to get proper footing and swung his arm in a quick effort across the akuma's face, the creature giving a pitying cry as it erupted. He would've congratulated himself on his quick work of the creature if for not the moment he turned, he stared down the barrel of many guns.

He froze, his heart twitching in his chest as the barrels all lit up.

At the last second he lunged forward, heart hammering in his ears as he dug his weapon arm into the fleshy material of the akuma and yanked it viciously upward, the resounding shots firing into the hillside of Risembool and echoing loudly through the air as the hillside of the town quickly disintegrated.

Even from where he stood at the center of town he could feel the oncoming rush of rock and debris, sliding from beyond. He could only hold on as the shots he got so good at predicting continued to escape the akuma he clung to, each hitting the battered hill and adding to the destruction of Risembool.

* * *

The only warning they received was the sound of the air whistling loudly.

Then the side of the hill overlooking Risembool erupted, Ed, Al, and Winry all flying through the air as the ground beneath them disappeared in the explosion. They slide and scrabbled for purchase as a large formation of loose rock began to shift under them like a stream, all sliding towards the small farm town ablaze with fire and smoke. A second shot rang out and Al watched in detached disbelief as pieces of their house suddenly flew overhead, meeting them in the tumble of rocks.

Photo albums.

The kitchen sink.

Dad's old suit of armor.

The kitchen table.

Their bed.

Dad's desk.

It was all battered and mostly broken as it flew down the hillside with them. As more shots continued to ring out more things from other houses near their area met them until, all at once, everything stopped.

They had reached the bottom of the hill.

Al felt like he had been bashed with a bat in various places and his head was pounding, blood still flowing from his shoulder, but he was alive and conscious and thankfully not buried. He crawled slowly out from everything and peered out around him.

"…brother?" He called when all he saw was rock and house. Fear gripped him as he took a step towards where he had last seen Edward. "Brother?!"

Something shifted before a hand was suddenly waving at him just a few feet away and Al felt relief wash over him as he trotted over to where Ed was lying. He was so covered in dirt and ash that Al had hardly been able to distinguish him from the rest of the scenery. He propped him upright into a sitting position when the glaringly obvious stump of Ed's leg brought the sense of dread among the two.

"Where's Winry?" Al whispered as he stared at Ed's leg, the stump still oozing blood like a faucet, before turning around to stare behind him. Ed grit his teeth, shaking his head as he tore his vest off and quickly made to tie it over the stump.

Who knew how infected it had gotten with that roll down the hill they had just done.

Al noticed his struggle with the vest and with shaking hands he took over.

And then…it happened.

Winry sprung from the ground like a bullet, her arm slicing through the air and straight into Al's gut. Blood glinted and splattered as she crouched behind him looking for all the world like some rabid dog before a bullet echoed through the air, the blond akuma startled and jerking back, the sickle sliding out of the younger Elric like butter as she sprung out of the bullet's reach.

A second one fired and caught her in the chest and she let out a shriek, jackknifing back as a glow erupted from her, a small glowing ball rolling out of her mouth as she screamed and fell onto her back.

In the next heartbeat she was on her feet and screaming as she raced towards the one with the gun.

But Ed saw none of that.

He saw the life drain out of his brother's startled face as he was attacked from behind before his blood splashed Ed's face and then Alphonse crumpled, like a broken doll, his life disappearing and taking Ed's sanity with it.

* * *

True to his word, Cross has gone off to look for the innocence. But he had never expected this.

The akuma screamed as his bullet hit her square in the chest, usually a kill shot with his level of experience, but the innocence seemed to spare her as it dislodged itself from her and left her smoking on the ground. She was up a moment later and her fury was obvious as she literally charged at him, Cross narrowing his eyes from where he stood at the edge of the city, the shadows of a nearby building hiding him.

He aimed his gun as she approached with lightning speed and mumbled under his breath, a small glow encasing his gun. She was nothing worth putting much effort towards.

She sprung at him and three shots echoed through the air, as clear and sharp as crystal.

She froze, a sickle an inch away from his body before her eyes rolled and she fell limp.

* * *

Ed felt his mind working overtime, pulsing painfully against his skull as blubbering words tumbled out of his throat, rubbing it raw as he choked and sobbed, tears tumbling down his cheeks. The image before him burned like fire into his eyes, yet he couldn't seem to focus on it. His gaze kept flickering, as if resisting to face the thing as one whole picture.

Blood.

So much blood.

Al was staring lifelessly to the side as the crimson liquid continued to pool from the gaping hole in his chest. Ed's hands were ghosting over him, the older Elric unaware of the senseless words he was blabbering as he hiccupped.

He was still warm.

There was still time.

But for what?

"Think… think… please for the _LOVE OF GOD_! **THINK**! **THINK**!" He wailed as his hands fisted, willing his brain to think of something, to ignore his own pain from blood loss, calling to him and tempting him into unconsciousness. His mind was whirling, pictures and words of any alchemy book he ever read springing to the front of his mind. But they seemed so cluttered and complicated at a time like this.

He could barely think straight!

Something warm and small nudged his leg but he didn't notice.

He continued to swear and curse until an idea flashed so suddenly through him it was like lightning had flashed through his very being. His eyes widened as his father's notes swam before his eyes, once useless, now slowly revealing their answers.

"Hold on Al!" He cried.

He didn't think how he must've looked as he crawled, bloody and in extreme pain, towards the dented armor chest plate that had tumbled down the hill with them when the shots had fired. He grabbed the piece of armor and wrenched it towards his body, the force pulling him off balance and sending him tipping over sideways.

He heaved for breath as his hands fumbled to realize his quick thoughts, the blood flowing from his leg warm and sticky on his fingers as he shook and pressed his index finger to the metal. He forced the seal to flow from his finger onto the metal, fighting to keep from shaking as he added in the important details as they sprang to the front of his mind. The moment he finished he barely had enough time to double check his calculations before a huge sob scraped his throat and forced him against the chest plate, his hands coming together with a brilliant glow.

"_**PLEASE WORK!"**_

A glow engulfed him, echoed by a green light emitted by the ball at his foot.

* * *

Al's vision came back blurry and unfocused. He remembered very little as everything began to clear and sharpen around him.

And then he saw Ed.

He was a dirty mess of pure blood. His right arm was now gone in addition to his missing leg and he looked unconscious.

Was he dead?

"Ed?! ED?!" Al screamed as he fought to get up and go to his brother's aid. But he couldn't move. At most, he clunked when he tried to thrash.

The second thing he noticed was the insistent green glow that he couldn't find the source of. But that went straight to the back burner as he thrashed, trying to get to his brother. A single gold eye slid open wearily to look at him.

"It…worked…thank…God…" Ed mumbled against the dirt.

"No Ed! Stay awake! What happened?! Edward!"

But Ed's eye slid closed leaving Al to continue to scream at him.

That is, until the red headed man came.

* * *

**A/N: Ok, just to clarify so that people don't ask this later, yes the innocence was accidentally used in the transmutation for Al. So yes, the innocence is now in his seal. Also, I changed it so they got the idea for soul transmutation from Hoenheim's notes (which they couldn't figure out until Ed's brain went into hyperdrive mode) and since they never saw truth before, it wouldn't have worked but since they had innocence there, the innocence made it work. Kinda like a philospher's stone. **

**Or at least that's how I see it.**


	8. Pieces

**Disclaimer: I don't own FMA or DGrayMan**

**A/N: As I write this fanfic I find it slightly unfair towards DGrayMan, simply because I've watched FMA(both the original and brotherhood) at least 5 times whereas I've only watched DGrayMan maybe once (and then proceeded to read the manga), so I feel I have a much better understanding of the FMA world then the DGrayMan world.**

**I really must get back into DGrayMan for the sake of not focusing solely on one universe. And yet this chapter came so easily for me. Enjoy.**

* * *

**Obvious Grief**

**By: animeroxsmyworld**

**Chapter 8: Pieces**

* * *

Cross drew close to the sounds of distraught, almost hysterical shouting, his eyes drinking in the scene as he registered the thrashing armour chest plate next to the blood drenched blond. Cross knew he should check on what was probably a dead child before him, but he couldn't tear his gaze away from the thrashing armor.

Was it moving by itself?

Was it…was it glowing?

As he took another step closer the armor immediately stopped and became eerily still, like a wild animal startled by the presence of a human.

"H-Hello?"

Cross started at the young voice of a child that echoed out towards him, the voice watery and thick, as if it was on the verge of a meltdown. Cross didn't bother looking around. He knew that the only people in this vicinity were right in front of him.

But still, he hesitated. "…hello."

A great number of sobs escaped the armor and it shook like a pair of weeping shoulders, little bits of rock tumbling away from where it lay on the ground. "Please! _Please!_ Help my brother!" The voice pleaded again. "He's going to bleed to death! You have to help him!"

Cross just stared. His eyes moved from the armor to the heavily bleeding child as he tried to comprehend what to do. He didn't feel comfortable with this at all. Everything about this raised a million questions.

When the armor made a suddenly loud thrash Cross startled into motion, his feet propelling him towards the unconscious boy. The closer he got the more dire he realized the situation was.

With a whisper of reassurance to the somehow living thing of armor, he scooped up the heavily bleeding boy and escaped into the town to find medical help. If there was any to be found of this degree he wasn't even sure.

Al saw the man leave with his brother and a surge of panic rose inside of him as they disappeared from sight, Al calling out frantically from where he lay before his voice faded, despair encasing him.

And yet he felt like a large weight had been lifted from him with Ed now gone.

He could see all the rubble around him, all the dirt and splashes of blood, destroyed buildings and fire rising high around town, thick smoke choking the sky.

And he couldn't feel anything.

Not a thing.

That realization horrified him yet numbed him at the same time.

Maybe that's why he hadn't been able to go to Edward. He was too hurt, too damaged.

Had he broken his spine?

Was he dying?

He was too far gone to save?

Is that why that man hadn't taken him along with his brother? There was no point? He was already diagnosed a lost cause?

A part of him suddenly wanted to scream and howl but another part of him felt vaguely numb. He thought he was going to die on several counts today. Maybe now he actually was. All he could do was stare up at the smoky sky and wait while praying that his brother was alright. He prayed that it hadn't been too long and Ed wasn't a lost cause like him.

All he could do now was wait.

And with bitter sadness beginning to rise inside him, he waited for death.

* * *

Allen had never felt so relieved to kill an akuma before. He was feeling spent and exhausted as he managed to pin the last one beneath his feet as it flew too close to the ground, the abomination grinding into both the ground and a nearby building with Allen's foot pining it in place.

Allen let a wobbly, triumphant grin spread across his face as he raised his white anti-akuma weapon up. With a practiced swing, his hand cut through the balloon like monster. It shrieked and Allen jumped back in time for it to implode, the youth a good distance away to be safe.

He had done it.

He couldn't believe it!

He felt extreme relief and satisfaction as he lent back and let his arm return to normal before he took in the sight of the town. He supposed not everyone would be feeling as good as he would right now. Everything was in flames and barely any buildings were left standing. This town had been destroyed.

Allen didn't even know if he should evacuate or attempt to find a way to get rid of some of these flames.

But even without the fire everything was in ruins.

That was when something very solid and gold ran into his skull, knocking him over. He laid on the ground, stunned for several seconds before his gaze harrowed in on Timcampy, the golem sitting harmlessly on his chest as if it hadn't just recently crashed into his head.

"What? Tim?" He asked in confusion as he sat up taking hold of the rather big flying orb. Where the hell had he come from? Why wasn't he with Cross?

A blur of red, gold and black moved in his peripheral in the distance. Allen only had enough time to register it before Cross' voice shouted down at him.

"Follow Tim and help the damn armor!"

And then he was gone.

Allen felt completely baffled as he sat there with Timcampy in his hands, the golem waiting patiently in his hands. He turned his teachers words over and over in his head but no matter how he came at it, it didn't make sense.

And Cross had said some pretty strange stuff. Usually when he was drunk.

Help the armor?

What the hell did that mean?

At least knowing how to follow the first part of his masters orders Allen flicked Timcampy into the air where the golem thankfully hovered. When Allen stood it took off and the white haired exorcist-in-training followed. Timcampy flew but seemed to pause and wait for Allen when the boy wobbled in his steps, fumbling as he ran.

Now that he had finished fighting all the akuma, exhaustion was beginning to gnaw at him, demanding his attention. If it was any other day and he was any other person, he would've said 'screw this' and given into his need to sleep after finding some shelter.

But Allen wasn't like that. And he cursed that as he chased the golden golem towards the edge of town.

The buildings began to thin the further he went, the terrain beneath his feet becoming unstable and rough. He couldn't see any sort of destination before him and was almost ready to ask Tim where he was going when the golem swooped to the right and circled once before plopping straight into the ground like a led weight.

"Tim?" Allen asked, blinking as he jogged over to where the golem now lay. Nothing special caught his eye. There was rubble everywhere. Rubble and…blood?

He skidded to a halt as the crimson pools gleamed up at him like lights, Tim gleaming at him where it lay a foot away from a dinged glowing chest plate. Allen took tentative steps towards the area, the grass squelching loudly underneath his boots.

The chest plate suddenly thrashed, as if startled, and Allen jumped, his heart leaping into his throat.

"Hello?" A voice called out fearfully.

Allen stared before his eye whirled in pain, the white-haired preteen grunting as he clutched at his face, the same voice calling up to him once again. His head throbbed but the pain began to diminish and when Allen pulled his hand away he flinched.

A young boy, perhaps a year or two younger then himself, was lying within the armoured chest plate. He looked significantly too small for the piece but that wasn't what caused Allen's unease.

He was perfectly transparent, glowing a soft green and looking at Allen with wide, tear filled eyes.

Allen had never seen a sight like it before. Even that golden haired man with the million souls…even he hadn't looked like this. This boy wasn't an akuma, they simply didn't look so human, but he wasn't whatever the hell that man had been.

Allen stepped forward again, mouth parted in both awe and shock as he approached the…ghost? After a second of extremely awkward silence he found his voice.

"Hello."

The greeting seemed so unusual considering the circumstances. But what else was there to say?

The boy suddenly moved. Or at least, the boy did. He swung up to a sitting position but the chest plate only thrashed and there was a small rebuff and the boy was sent back on his back as if he had been pushed back. His face contorted into silent anger as tears welled in his eyes and he cursed. Allen stared at him as the boy tried once more before letting out a heart wrenching sigh and flopping against the ground, staring sadly at the sky above as the tears slid silently like ghosts down his face.

And for the first time in his life Cross' words snapped to the front of Allen's mind with perfect clarity.

"…help the armor…" Allen whispered with realization as he stared at the spirit trapped inside the chest plate.

"What?" The boy asked, sniffling as he did so. But Allen was ignoring him, his gaze already turning wildly towards the remains of what looked to be a landslide behind the young piece of armor. Pieces of furniture and broken bits of houses peaked up at him. Just poking up beneath a rather thick rock appeared to be the matching arm piece for the armor.

"I'll be back!" Allen cried out before leaping over Al's prone body and climbing the remains of the rubble. The exhaustion fled his body as a new purpose flooded over him, Allen's hands digging in the dirt as he pulled up the arm and began digging around the area for other parts of the armor, the concept for it slowly solidifying in his head as he found more pieces.

Below the ghost boy was deathly silent as Allen continued to throw his newfound pieces back. Finally Al spoke, curiosity urging him forward.

"What are you doing?" He asked quietly as Allen reappeared, caked in dirt but smiling as he held an armoured foot in his hands. Allen looked at him and he scrambled back towards Alphonse with a glint lighting his face.

"I think I figured it out." Allen confessed as he sits on his haunches, collecting his tossed pieces of armoured limbs. He reaches towards the chest plate and a look of concentration flits over his face as he fumbles with the large straps. One falls loose and he quickly grabs an arm he had dug up, attaching it and the shoulder joint to the glowing plate.

Al just watches him quietly, mute wonderment on his face. He had no clue what the white-haired boy is attempting to do but it involves him somehow, that much Al can understand.

Allen seems to get the hang of it as his concentration grows, his fingers getting nimbler as he moves around the body, Timcampy activating long enough to find a resting place on top of Allen's head. Alphonse fixated on the unusual creature for so long that he almost yelped when Allen spoke.

"There. Try to move."

Al looked at him, Allen grinning tiredly at him. He looked so expectant that without even putting any thought into the motion Al sat up. A loud creak echoed through the air as he did so and he froze as realization started to sink in.

He had moved…

Allen brightened and turned simply to pick up the helmet that was still sitting at his side.

"Here. This should finish it off." He offered as he leaned forward and placed the helmet carefully on top of the large shoulders. It was almost caved in completely on one side but it was still holding together. Al's vision became narrower to accommodate the eyeholes but he paid that no mind as he slowly raised his hands.

Metal stared back at him.

He flexed his fingers and the metal fingers moved.

He rolled his wrist and the metal ones copied him.

And he still couldn't feel anything.

His hands fisted and he screamed.

* * *

Cross had no clue where he had ran. All he knew was that he looked for places not on fire and still standing. He had kicked in at least a dozen doors and had found a considerable amount of people considering what was going on with the town, but none of them had been doctors or wielded any medical training.

Finally he had found a doctor.

A middle-aged man with a receding hairline and freckled skin, holed up in a small homely house at the very edge of the opposite side of town. He was completely away from all the damages of the akuma attack.

How lucky he must be.

He had barely gotten out the fact that he was a doctor before Cross had shoved Ed at him.

"Do something." He had commanded. He saw the man realize the severity of the situation the moment he took the blond child from him, the child's blood soaking the man's hand at the mere touch. Recognition even flashed on the man's face as he muttered what must've been the boy's name and took him from the red-headed exorcist.

A small part of him watched as the doctor worked with a quick diligence to save the boy's life while another part of him wondered how his apprentice was faring with his task.


	9. A Start

**Disclaimer: I don't own DGrayMan or FMA.**

**A/N: Ok I remember in DGrayMan, something being said how Road was apparently the oldest Noah (beside the Earl) so I figure, for this to happen, that they don't age after they fully become Noah. FYI, I really liked writing this scene with Road and Envy. It was fun!**

**And yes, Timcampy pretty much can find anyone because he is awesome like that. But no, Cross is his master so he can always find Cross. Allen is pretty much his second master (he's Cross's student and later Tim's master) so Tim can always find him too, and if either of them tell him to find something, if he's seen it before, he can.**

* * *

**Obvious Grief**

**By: animeroxsmyworld**

**Chapter 9: A Start**

* * *

It had taken a very long ten minutes for Allen to finally calm Al down. He barely understood what it was the armoured boy was going off about but it was clear he was distressed and nearing hysteria with each passing second so Allen had been quick to try and sooth him.

Suddenly he gasped and shot to his feet.

"Brother!"

Allen reeled back at the sudden change.

"Brother! Oh my god! I have to find him! But I don't know where the man took him!" Al began to cry, his arms waving in frantic gestures as his head began to swivel, looking from side to side as if he could suddenly spot the man that had run off with his brother. Allen was on his feet in seconds and began pulling on Al's arm to grab his attention.

"Calm down, calm down!" He urged fervently.

"I can't! Brother might be dead!" Al continued to cry. "I have to find him!"

Allen dug his feet in the ground and with a yank brought the 7-foot-tall armor swirling round to face him instead of the town. The gesture seemed to shock the ghost boy into silence and Allen was able to talk calmly.

"Well then think…which way did this man go?"

Silence fell over the two. Al could barely remember. Everything at the time had been so panicked and full of adrenaline that he himself had barely been able to think straight. Had he been able to catch sight of which way the man had gone? Had he even gone into town?

Al was silent for several seconds before his head whipped up and a hand shot out to point in the same direction.

"He went that way!"

That was all Al needed before he took off running, no destination in his mind, and Allen stumbling after him. With his metal shell of a body, exhaustion was only a word to him so Allen lost sight of the huge armor multiple times as he stopped to catch his breath while Al opened any and all doors calling for his brother. The only way Allen found Al again was when the younger boy was fruitless in his search and came barreling back onto the main road. Allen managed to catch up to him and the younger boy was so focused on the task before him that he didn't notice Allen latch onto his back and hold onto his massive shoulder spikes as he continued.

If he hadn't, there was no way Allen would've been able to keep up anymore. His day had been far too taxing that running the length of the city for the third time that day was just too much. Al was persistent as he continued to peek in every doorway and it was when they were crossing to the other side of the town did something finally happen.

Timcanpy whirred from where he sat on Allen's head before he shot up and began flying like a straight arrow through the air.

"Ah! Tim!" Allen cried out at the golem's sudden departure.

Whether taking the golden ball as a sign of divine intervention, Alphonse gave chase with Allen calling after the golden orb while still riding on the younger boy's back. They ran for several streets before they turned the corner and Al skidded to a stop.

Cross was leaning against the wall of a small house, a cigarette held between his teeth while Timcanpy flew simply into the red-haired man's outstretched hands.

"There you are." He said simply to the golem as it seemed to nestle into his hands, whirring in response.

"Master…" Allen said in quiet greeting as he slowly slid off of Al's back and landed on the ground. Cross' eye slowly slid up to rest on the two before him and when it did Al started to move.

"You…" He started. "You're the man who took my brother! Where is he?! Is he ok?!" Al cried out suddenly, his armor creaking and protesting with his frantic movements. Cross eyed the armor steadily, his eye quickly taking notice of Allen's black and red eye activated around the armor's presence, but his student didn't seem to be fussing over the matter. In fact, he had been running with the armor a moment ago hadn't he? His gaze slid back to the armor before going to the door beside him that led into the house.

"He's inside. The doctor is working on him."

That was all he needed to say. Al's whole body seemed to slump with relief before he hurdled towards the door, not the least bit mindful of his appearance through the whole ordeal. The minute he passed through the door Allen's eye returned to blue, the child clutching at his face for a brief moment before regaining himself. Cross could see the exhaustion weighing on Allen's frame and he let out a grunt, earning the young boy's attention.

"Go inside and rest." He commanded, emphasising his point by propping the door open with his foot. Allen was too tired to even question Cross' nice behaviour as he gave a sleepy nod and all but fell inside the house where he instantly crashed into slumber on the nearby couch.

But Cross let his mind drift as he shifted Tim's weight.

How severe of a consequence would be unleashed if he left innocence unchecked?

* * *

Ed felt like his head was going to explode. Although it had been some time since he had left the towering structure that had been the gate, his head was still trying to wrap around the knowledge that it had poured into his mind.

There were so many pictures…

So many calculations…

So much knowledge…

So much pain…

The moment his arm was torn from him as he begged and cried in front of the truth was still so sharp and clear in his head. But actually seeing the truth, it was something else entirely. Images had flashed before him so quickly it was like he had been struck by lightning.

Equations, alchemic symbols, books, towns, animals, people, buildings, his dad, his mom, his brother, stars, plants, crosses, black and white coats, metal skeletons, green orbs, war, and that scary looking clown.

They were only a few of the millions of pictures that had attacked him. He felt like he could burst and keel over with multiple ulcers. But the pain was starting to ebb the more he slept and his mind sifted through the forced data. What he could understand was stored away and what made little to no sense at all was nearly forgotten at the back of his mind, waiting for a time when he would call upon it later.

But he had other things to worry about now.

Like surviving.

He squinted his eyes as noise slowly registered once again in his brain. Voices began to filter into his ears and he shuffled underneath the blanket he barely registered. Everything went quiet before a voice he could never misplace called out to him.

"Brother! You're alive!"

Ed's eyes opened slowly, the light above him blinding him momentarily. "Al?" He called out hoarsely as he wiped at his eyes, something tugging at his arm each times he moves it. Something at the very back of his mind whispers to him that it's one of several IV's. He heard a loud clunk to his side and a muttered male voice he didn't recognize. He turned his gaze and came face to face with the crushed helmet of his father's armor.

He stared at it.

And then he remembered.

His eyes widened and his single hand flew to the metal, touching it with such reverence that it seemed like he expected it to break at any moment. "…Al?" He whispered, his voice hushed and quivering.

There was a pregnant silence before the helmet nodded and Ed's eyes watered, his teeth grinding. Even though Al couldn't feel it, his armor vibrated as his brother's hand trembled against the metal.

"Brother…" Al started softly.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry." Ed started as the tears slid down his cheeks effortlessly. The other male in the room, the doctor, left unnoticed as Ed's hand fisted around the metal spike of his brother's shoulder and his whole body trembled, a sob escaping him as he realized what had become of Al. "I'm sorry. Oh God I'm sorry. I'm so sorry Al. _I'm so sorry_."

Al can only place a hand on his brother's back as his brother continues to sob into his armor frame. He wants to comfort him but he can't think of any words. Everything is still too fresh. It still burns and haunts him each time he ponders on it too long.

But he's alive.

He's here to hear Ed's broken apologies.

And for that he's thankful.

* * *

Cross is at a loss.

It's a very rare occurrence for Cross has always known, at least to some degree, how to handle a situation. But at the present, he simply stares out at the sky as he takes another puff from his cigarette, Tim still firmly placed in his hands from when he had arrived with Allen.

The door opens and he pulls himself from his thoughts long enough to glance over at the doctor who leans up against the house beside him, the other man's gaze not even meeting his. Silence greets them as Cross lets his gaze fall and they watch as the glow from the fire in town slowly diminishes as news reaches to the nearby towns and something is actually being done to cure the fire.

"You saved his life."

Cross blinks but shows no sign he's heard the doctor.

The doctor apparently needs no recognition from the red-head as he continues. "A little longer and he would've been dead with his wounds exposed to these conditions. Not to mention all the blood loss he sustained."

Cross finds himself giving a small hum this time.

It's quiet again but Cross cannot help it. His mind is swirling with thoughts of the armored boy when the homely doctor speaks up again.

"He can't stay here."

For the first time since their one-sided conversation started Cross' attention is caught. His head turns to look at the man now who is still staring at the distance.

"Why not?"

The man sighs and it's a sigh that is from the whole body and is full of regret. "He can't get the proper treatment from me."

"You just told me you saved him from near death." Cross accuses a frown marring his face. This time the man does look at him and he looks several years older as he speaks.

"I know the Elrics. Bless them they're wonderful boys, but they're active, strong willed and determined. Under normal circumstances that would be fine but in this particular scenario I can tell you that I cannot help these boys. Edward will want to get automail. He will want the surgery and I don't have the means to give it to him. Pinako used to provide that service around these parts but…she…"

As if to emphasize his point he nods towards the dying fire that had once been his hometown. True, Pinako could very well be alive among all that rubble and smoke, but rumor was that she had started going a little loopy when Winry started her disappearing acts.

Even if she was alive she might not be in the right mind to perform any sort of surgery.

Cross' frown deepened before he took another puff of his cigarette and looked back at the sky, his mind filling with new thoughts, new problems.

He was at a loss.

* * *

As if to slap the doctor's own words in his face, Edward fell into a state of depression. He showed no will at all to strive towards any sort of rehabilitation or even consider automail. He cursed alchemy and winced whenever Al mentioned the mere word. He ate just enough to stave off hunger and if it wasn't for Al, the deep haunting look of regret and shame pooling in his eyes would probably drown him, suffocating the life inside him.

Yet Al dutifully dotted on him like he was the only thing in the world. And to Al he was.

Cross observed them for a few moments before he turned and walked out towards the front door. As he passed by the doctor, Marvin, he paused.

"Anything happens to those two, tell me." He said before discreetly slipping a tiny folded piece of paper into the man's palm. Marvin looked at the man before his eyes looked at the two broken brother's taking up the space in his guest bedroom.

He opened his mouth to speak, eyes sliding back to where Cross had stood before flinching when he realized the man was no longer there.

Cross fetched Allen from town, the boy having been helping those who had survived the horrible night try and retrieve what items they possessed out of the wreckage, including Allen's own things from the hotel. Cross' stuff had less luck. A few things here or there but most was gone.

"Brat!" Cross called out as he came into view of Allen's perfectly white head bobbing in and out of buildings. The boy stopped and stared at him owlishly. Cross simply scowled and tossed Allen's bag towards him, the boy giving a yelp as he dropped whatever he was holding to catch his belongings.

"We're going." Cross ordered before turning and continuing down the road. He didn't have to look back. He knew Allen would follow. He was the master and Allen was the apprentice and no matter how bad the air between might get at times, he knew his apprentice.

The second pair of footsteps echoing his confirmed it.

* * *

News of Risembool reached the military when one of the villagers actually managed to gather their senses long enough to dive into the remains of their house and find the miraculously still connected phone.

Of course troops were sent immediately. Firstly to confirm that indeed the small farm town was now wiped off the map, and secondly to supply medical assistance to any of the wounded survivors who couldn't reach medical assistance on their own.

The complete obliteration of the town had caught King Bradley's interest. Sure, the town had been a little close to the situation concerning Ishbal when the Ishbal rebellion took place, but that had been some years ago.

It should've been a peaceful place now.

Who could've waged this attack?

It was because of this interest in the small town that Envy found himself disguised among the band of troops sent out to aid the survivors. He fiddled with the lapels of his uniform, annoyance flitting across his face, the face of a hook nosed pasty man, as he tried to drown out the noise around him.

The town would be visible in only a few seconds and then he could get away from all these humans. He could assess the damage then transform into a dog and hightail it out of there before anyone noticed. He couldn't stand to be around these humans much longer than that.

The vehicle they were all crowded in finally lurched to a stop and everyone filed out.

Envy got a look at the town and had to resist the urge to whistle at the work before him.

Everything was in shambles. It had taken them two days to reach Risembool but the stench of smoke and death still clung like a thick blanket in the air. Despite his current company Envy closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. He reveled in the smell.

The destruction.

It had been quite some time since he had actually been up front for a scene like this. To smell this smell. The last time would have to be…

Ishbal.

He fought down the urge to smile at the memory as the troops began to head towards the edge of the town where they had been informed that the survivors had been holed up. With a quick glance Envy fell to the back of the group before he slowed right down and broke away, intent to head towards the town.

When he put enough distance between him and the troops he let electricity crackle over him before his form shifted, his skin tightening and his body shortening and lengthening before he stood at his desired form, long green strands of hair spilling out from the top of his head.

"Ah, that's better." He muttered as he patted his hair. Honestly, this really was the best form. He looked through the streets as he wove through the town. There wasn't a single human in sight. It was an absolute ghost town.

He kicked at some lonely debris as he assessed the damage, the crater like wounds buried in the streets. What kind of weapons could cause this? Tanks perhaps? But who had access to tanks?

Briggs? No, they were all the way north, they couldn't have done this without there being any commotion beforehand. And what would be their purpose if it had been them? Attacking their own country…

It wasn't unheard of he supposed but what would it gain them?

Envy suddenly snapped his gaze to the left as movement caught his attention. A pale girl with spiky purple hair sat on top of a crumbled building, her gaze cast out among the rest of the wreckage as she swung her feet, a lollipop clutched in one hand.

Envy stared at her.

Something wasn't right. It was a small feeling in his brain, just big enough to keep his gaze on her as he continued to walk down the street, but not so big that he felt she warranted any sort of red flag. She seemed not to notice him as she looked on and after a few seconds of looking her over carefully, Envy scowled and finally tore his gaze away, adamant about ignoring the cautious feeling that still tickled the back of his mind.

She was probably just one of the town's brats. Probably missed her poor fucking home and de—

His train of thought came screeching to a halt as something suddenly clicked into perfect focus in his mind.

She had been clean. Not just clean but pristine. Not a scratch or fleck of dust on her. Definitely not any sort of state someone who was a survivor of Risembool would be in. She was out of place.

He took another step as he let his brain store all this away before he looked over his shoulder, eyes casually looking up at the tall destroyed building the girl had been sitting atop of.

Dark purple eyes stared at him and he tensed.

And then cursed himself inwardly. How dare he tense at a child? How ridiculous!

His teeth grit together subconsciously. The girl stared at him before a small smile lit her face.

"It's interesting isn't it?" She called out as she watched him from up high. He pressed his lips together in a thin line as he reigned himself in. He had to keep his composure. This girl didn't know who he was. He wasn't here to deal with people like her.

Yet he found himself answering despite himself. "What is?"

Her eyes seemed to light with mischief as she gestured towards the town. The broken buildings, the scorch marks and the dead bodies. "This. It's interesting how easily it all crumbles. How just a little force makes all the humans die."

Silence.

Envy stares as he digests her words.

The feeling at the back of his mind acts up again but this time it hackles like a cat. Something inside him wants to hiss and spit at the girl in front of him as she looks at his blank face and smiles widely.

Too widely.

She hops down from her perch. Her very high perch, and lands on the ground with perfect ease. Envy fights to keep his face from breaking into a snarling spasm as she walks past him, perfectly calm and popping her lollipop into her mouth.

"Yet the innocence remains. I'll have to deal with this."

And then she left, walking casually down the street like she owned the world.


	10. A Step

**Disclaimer: I don't own DGrayMan or FMA**

**Authoress Note: As someone pointed out, yes I do know that Envy is genderless but making Envy a boy is so much easier than just referring to him as 'it' the whole time. Plus, in the first anime Envy was Ed and Al's half-brother. I'm trying to find a nice blend of everything here (FMA first anime, brotherhood/manga, and DGray-man) if I can.**

* * *

**Obvious Grief**

**By: animeroxsmyworld**

**Chapter 10: A Step**

* * *

When Maes Hughes joined the research department he thought he would no longer have to face the battle scene. He thought he could leave his horrible nightmares of wounded men, women and children behind him with Ishbal, locked away in a special corner of his mind.

Apparently he was wrong.

A child let out a sudden shriek as a medic dug a needle through the child's skin, starting one of many stitches that would help heal a rather deep wound. The boy balled his fists and gave loud shrieks of pain between clenched teeth as the needle wove flawlessly through his skin as if humans were simply pieces of a quilt that could be stitched back together. Hughes inwardly cringed as he turned his gaze away, more cries and sniffled muttering reaching up to his ears like forgotten infants.

Upon arrival in Risembool temporary stations were made, large tents protecting them from the sun as survivors from the city began to clamber to them, as if a beacon had suddenly been lit. They came flocking, not just for medical attention, but for food and some came for an extra shirt or two. It seemed that in a time such as this, they were to be the town's saving grace.

The area in and around the tents were swarming with people.

The medics were constantly on the move, quickly assessing one patient before moving onto another, trying to priorities those who sustained the most damage…who needed the most help.

The air reeked of blood and sterile equipment.

Hughes could feel his head begin to pound as a man bellowed in agony as three doctors tried to continue operating on him, fellow townsfolk holding him still as they continued extracting chunks of metal from his leg. Somewhere in the background a baby began to wail out of hunger and the noises seemed to amass and pound like a drum in Hughes' head. Hughes left the tent with a rolling feeling in his stomach and a headache burning in his brain.

He had never wanted to be a medic.

He longed for his desk back at HQ.

He walked further away from the tent and pushed past the crowd of people who had been left beggars from the wreckage. When he finally pulled himself free he inhaled deeply, fresh air filling his nose and calming him. The smoke from the fire that had encased more than half the city had long since left the air, but the smell still remained the closer to town one went.

With his head clearing Hughes was able to actually take in his surroundings. Several other officers from the research department could be seen taking notes or scouring the distance as they prodded at rubble or ventured into the city to look through destroyed streets. At times like this, when knowledge of the battle was close to nothing, sending out researchers were quite common.

'_But why on Earth did they have to send me?'_

With five other researchers on the scene Hughes didn't see why he couldn't just head back to HQ and leave this place and the memories it stirred, behind him.

* * *

Marvin only had so much medication at his home. He actually had a small store inside the town but he doubted it was still intact. As it was, treating Edward had depleted his supply exponentially and even though Ed's wounds were wrapped and on the mend, he still needed daily medication to help deal with the pain.

It was like a blessing in disguise when the military arrived two days ago, stock full of medication, food, and other small things, or so the doctor had heard. Despite the near destruction of the town news still managed to get around. Ed's medication only had one more days worth left so they would have to try and reach the survivors tent unless they wanted him to be subjected to excruciating pain.

Al crouched down in front of Edward's gaze, the older Elric staring blankly at the material of his pants and absently running his hand over the baggy material. He had been nothing but depressed the past few days. Marvin would've started to consider his behaviour due to some sort of head injury if it wasn't for the short conversation Al was able to extract from him.

That and the awful bloodcurdling screams he heard at night. Nightmares like nothing he could imagine.

"Brother?" Al asked hopefully.

Ed blinked but made no motion to show he heard the armor, his hand still playing with the material of his pants. They were a couple sizes too big, Marvin's son's from back when he had still been living at home. They barely stayed on Ed's hips, a belt fastened to the very last hole to try and keep them on his body.

Al repressed a sigh and continued on knowing that Ed would speak up when Al said something of interest. "Doctor Marvin says we're running low on your medication. The military came to Risembool two days ago with medics so we just need to get you down to them in order to get you more medication."

"Why?"

Al was starting to get used to Ed's one word questions. But that didn't mean he didn't need them to be elaborated every now and then.

"Why what?"

"Why can't the doctor just go to the medics himself and get the medication? Why do I have to go there?" Ed continued, his eyes finally sliding over to Al's still dented helmet. They're eyes met and Ed immediately tensed and his eyes slid away to the ground.

The voice was the same.

The mannerisms were the same.

When he wasn't looking Ed forgot, for the barest fraction of a second.

And then he saw the armor. The crushed, dented helmet and the huge intimidating body that towered over him and clanked with each movement.

And his heart would shatter. It took everything he had not to break down weeping on his little brother each time Al managed to step into his vision. It wasn't his fault. It could never be his fault. But it was a reminder.

A reminder to how bad everything had been. How bad everything had _gotten_.

Everything had seemed to tumble away like sand, Ed not being able to control anything. All he could do was watch as the wind took away the pieces. All the villagers, his home, his mother…

And Al had almost…

"You have to go because the doctor thinks that it's not just the medication you need." Al replied calmly, his voice soothing and pulling Ed sharply from his thoughts. Ed's face pulled into the barest hint of a frown and Al decided to elaborate.

"Food for one. Maybe if the military gives it to you, you'll actually eat it."

Ed repressed the urge to scowl openly. He ate as much as was required. Though he did spend much of his lunch and supper time just pushing his food around. He just didn't have the appetite at the moment. His whole world was gone. How could he be expected to eat at a time like this? Al made to continue talking when Marvin entered the room and saw the two boys.

"Ah Edward, we'll be heading out today." He informed as he wiped his glasses on his shirt, riding it of any smudges. Ed's face fell blank as his shoulders drooped. The air filled with more questions but Ed remained closed off. He resigned himself to his fate as Al sighed at his brother before placing his hobbled form inside the doctor's one wheelchair. If Ed protested he showed no signs as they wheeled him out into the outside world, Al ducking under the doorway as he went.

The roads were uneven and rough as they made their way to the tents. It was easy to spot them even at a distance. People crowded around them and as they got closer Marvin frowned. Perhaps coming to the tents for some simple medication might be harder than he anticipated.

* * *

Road closed her eyes and let her mind go free as she sat peacefully beneath a tree, her lollipop shoved in her mouth and making her cheeks puff out. She felt her Noah side spill over her mind, taking control as she began to shift through the akumas that she could feel.

Who could she call? Who _should_ she call?

Level ones were obviously the ones that had first been to this town. That much was obvious by its total destruction. Sure level two's could be just as bad but they usually had a purpose and tended to stay away from totally annihilation of a town. Unless of course they were on orders, but the Earl wasn't ready to put his plans into action yet so full scale attacks like that wouldn't have been his orders.

"Not one." She firmly muttered to herself as she closed her eyes and leaned against the tree trunk at her back, the top half of the tree completely gone, having been blown off in the mentioned attack. She hummed as she continued to shift through the nearby akumas.

Threes were still quite rare. And even if she called for one now it would take a while for it to get here, they mostly hung out near the Earl and truth be told, she wasn't close to him geographically at the moment.

"A two then." She nodded. A smile wisped across her lips before vanishing as her brow furrowed as she located the closest level twos. She let her mind wisp over the two sources and felt their presence flare in recognition, both attentive like dogs to her words.

"_There's innocence in Risembool that I need you to get. Bring it to me."_

She could faintly register their cries of enthusiasm at being picked by a mighty Noah as she slipped her presence away from theirs and slowly opened her eyes again. A small pout formed on her face as she realized that all she could do now was sit and wait. And waiting was boring. There was nothing entertaining in this town to distract her anymore.

With an audible sigh she shuffled into a comfier position and let herself digest her lollipop.

* * *

The train was a whirl of speed and colour as he saw it chug closer and closer. He pressed his lips together firmly as the resolve in his stomach hardened, the train steady in its speed. The wind picked up from the speed and he began to jog next to the tracks, lining himself beside the tracks.

He had to do this. He knew it deep inside his heart.

'_I know why you did this to me…'_

The train seemed to thunder with noise and suddenly it was there. His feet flew like the wind as he chased after it, the arm closest to the metal beast reaching out instinctively. Car after car went by when suddenly he found an opening and with a prayer he took it.

His legs left the ground with a mighty leap and his hands flew out to catch the rail before him. With a clang that was silenced by the thundering of the train, he caught a hold and pulled himself over into safety with a loud thud. His breath was erratic as adrenaline pumped through his veins but he offered thanks to the god above.

With a quick glance he saw that he had made it onto the train unnoticed and feeling a small amount of pride seep into him, he grabbed the door handle and carefully slid it open. Being this far back on the train it should just be storage, the perfect place to hide away for safe passage.

He blinked as four heads turned to him.

Oh.

Cards littered the floor, a game in progress as the men seated on the floor stared up at the sudden intruder. They were huddled among the boxes of cargo, having pushed them along the walls of the car to make room to sit down.

They were stowaways. Like him.

He made to step back out of the car when one of the men sitting on the floor suddenly waved frantically towards him. "Hurry and get in here! Shut the door! You trying to get us all found out or something?"

He blinked again.

Slowly he stepped inside and closed the door, darkness surrounding all of them except for the large square of light that filtered in through the pane of glass on the sliding door. He was told to take a seat and in the dark it took him several seconds to find enough space for him. The only thing that was illuminated was the game of cards, at least until his eyes adjusted.

As he found a spot silence reigned in the car before the men seemed to slowly continued their game, as if they had almost forgotten about it in his presence. Which could've easily been the case. Even he knew his presence was intimidating. But for the task set out before him maybe that was a blessing of its own. The game ensnared the other men's attention and the ex-priest was left to watch, picking up on the different poker plays that they all shifted through.

"You don't need those shades in here." One of the men called out suddenly causing him to start. "It's dark enough. You shouldn't be blinding yourself purposefully."

No one had bothered to introduce themselves and even if they did he wouldn't have remembered. But as those words left his mouth the ex-priest found himself burning the features of the man to memory, or what he could make of him. Curled dark hair and pale skin that almost sickly when his hands flashed in the light to pick at the cards. Thick glasses covered his eyes but he could feel the gaze searing into him behind their frames.

He shifted and gave a grunt in response. "I'm fine."

"He's probably missing an eye or something." One of the other men joked with a snicker as he tossed some chips onto the floor. The man next to him let out a bark of a laugh.

"With that humongous scar on his face? That's make for some sort of storybook pirate don't ya think? Except he'd need an eye patch instead of sunglasses."

The glare was to be predicted but even the man with the thick glasses let out a small snicker before he actually turned to face their intruder. "Whatever it is its safe here. What's a missing eye among stowaways?"

"Aye!" One of the earlier men chortled, clearly amused at the running pirate joke. Seeing no way out of this besides venturing out for another unlocked storage cart or simply blasting them he reached up and slid the shades off of his face.

Bright red eyes glared back at them.

Their looks of laughter and amusement slid into shocked silence as their grins wiped off their faces.

* * *

Marvin realized he shouldn't have been worried about getting to the tent. The crowds of people parted like puffs of dandelion seeds as they saw Alphonse wheel his brother forward. In all honesty Marvin himself had been in a state of shock when he had seen the younger Elric walking around in that dented suit of armor. But he had been way too preoccupied with other things at the time to let a walking and talking suit of armor get the better of him.

Apparently these people had no such qualms about staring and pointing at the suited child. The crying and yelling that had filled the area around the tent gave way to a silence that was soon erupting with a buzz of whispers.

Al's shoulders hunched and even Marvin had to remind himself that underneath all that armor was a small boy with insecurities and a gentle soul. Yet he continued to wheel his silent brother towards the tent, careful to avoid any bumps.

It was when they were within arm's reach of the opening of the tent, the startled gazes of the medics and militia inside finding them that the murmured words grew to be too much. With a ferocity that Marvin had never knew a child to possess, Ed whipped his head to the side. His eyes burned bright with furious fire and he looked like he could easily tear out the nearest person's throat.

"WHAT ARE YOU ALL LOOKING AT?! PISS OFF!"

His yell rung through the stock still crowd. Al was frozen in place, his helmet staring down at his seething brother before he seemed to bring himself around, the younger more shocked about his brother's foul language then the fact that Edward had actually snapped.

"Brother!" Al hissed quietly in a scolding voice. But that was all he said. He didn't tell him off for telling off those whispering lookers. He didn't tell him off for yelling. Just scolded him for his language and slowly wheeled him the rest of the way into the tent as Ed fumed darkly, his eyes glaring at any who bothered to meet his eye. Marvin slowly walked in after them, careful to keep stride with Al.

Apparently Ed's yell had affected all those inside the tent who had been staring and the first few medics nearby flocked to attend to them out of shame. But it was easy to see. Al could see it as he let them look his brother over and Dr. Marvin explained what medication he had Edward on. Eyes still flickered to him.

Questions. He could see them.

They burned in their eyes but went unasked.

He shifted nervously and tried to tune everyone else, instead trying to become completely ensnared with the conversation the medic before him was having with the doctor as they got a very irritable Edward onto one of the temporary beds.

The female medic turned her gaze towards the elder Elric and very delicately reached forward and unwrapped the bandages that covered his two stumps. Ed's sour face instantly disappeared to be replaced with one of pain as the bandages fell and showed his wounds to the world. Al forced himself to look. If his body had been normal he knew he probably would've gagged to the point of vomiting. Like a true medic the woman didn't even blink as she crouched down and examined the cuts and rushed amputations that Dr. Marvin had made with a critical eye.

"The nerves are still exposed." She stated after a second. Her eyes then flicked up to Ed who was grimacing in pain but forcing himself to watch her. "If you plan on getting automail you would need to do it soon for the ports to have full connection with your nerves. If not I can do what we can and stitch the skin over completely. But if I do that now, if you ever want automail in the future, they will have to literally re-amputate you to get at your nerves again." She explained slowly, the words rolling off of her tongue carefully, making sure that Ed could hear each word she said.

As Al sat and listened he could clearly picture how Ed would be without automail, without the mobility the metal limbs would offer him. Even from this point in life Al could tell Ed would be absolutely miserable. The decision seemed so clear that when Al saw the look of defeat on his brother's face it startled him.

"I…if you…" Ed mumbled, his words quiet against the noises inside the tent.

"Brother you need to get automail!" Al cut in sharply.

Ed's head snapped up quickly. "I do? What about money Al? Automail costs money!" He explained and Al was almost crushed by the weight of the sadness in those golden eyes. He had been mistaken. Ed wasn't defeated by the fact of not wanting automail…they couldn't afford automail.

And all their money had been blown to pieces with their house.

Silence beat down upon them both, neither knowing what to say. The medic however had more pressing matters and seemed to come to her own decision.

"Well you let me know when you decide. Until then you'll need to go back in your chair because other people will need this bed." She explained as she deftly bandaged his stumps back up and pressed the medication Marvin had been rambling to her about earlier into the good doctor's hand. With that the two brothers found themselves outside, near the back of the tent where there were less people due to how close it was to the nearby cliffs.

"We could always try Auntie Pinako." Al said after several minutes of silence. "She would be willing to fit you for automail."

Ed's face remained defeated as he watched men dressed in the blue of the military begin to walk towards the tent, several makeshift gurney pitched between them. Bodies piled high on the gurneys, the non-survivors of the attacks, retrieved from the town.

"I don't think so Al." He replied.

"What? Why not?"

In the briefest of gestures Ed tilted his head towards the men making their way towards the tent. Al followed his gaze. It took three seconds for him to spot the withered old woman among the other bodies, her tiny glasses broken and bits of glass embedded in her face, grey hair falling out of her squished bun like wisps of smoke. Despite the blood that drenched her front from where a shot had impaled her, she looked perfectly at ease.

Her…the one they had called Auntie.

Their world was truly gone.


	11. Will

**Disclaimer: Don't own DGrayMan or FMA**

**A/N: Wow, I was actually really surprised with how many people were upset with Pinako's death. Honestly. Dunno why, I was just surprised. Oh and if no one figured it out the people on the train were Scar and Tyki and Tyki's friends. (I didn't add Eeze in cause it's still a few years earlier and I figured Eeze was too young at that time to be working the mines or whatever job Tyki does).**

* * *

**Obvious Grief**

**By: animeroxsmyworld**

**Chapter 11: Will**

* * *

Those eyes seemed to glow in the darkness of the car.

Silence engulfed them, the tension thick and choking like smog because he knew that they knew. He could see it on their faces. He could see the instant judgement that his red eyes brought down upon him ever since the massacre.

Oh sorry, rebellion is what the military said.

"So you're Ishbalan."

A careful poke to the thick wall of tension. A few more pokes and eventually it would all tumble, but left alone it stood big and menacing, separating them from him.

He gave a grunt. "I am."

More silence. And then a very wary smile tugged at one man's mouth, a nervous, almost hysterical chuckle rumbling up from his throat. "Well at least we know you got both eyes." He attempted to joke.

Seconds ticked by before the other two men let out bits of laughter as well. Everyone acted differently when presented with something they feared. Ever since that Ishbalan rebellion Ishbalans had a very dark reputation, or so it was rumored. They were savage, ruthless humans who bore red eyes to show that they were indeed demons.

Meeting an Ishbalan was like meeting the devil.

"If he has both eyes he can't really be a pirate now can he?" The other man followed up, the wall starting to break down with nervous laughs as they mechanically began playing their card game once again, talking about him as if he wasn't there. As if pretending he wasn't there would make his presence all that more bearable.

He was beginning to contemplate putting his shades back on when he caught the gaze of the one with the thick glasses. He was staring straight at him, not skittering his gaze away like the other two and it made him pause, muscles tensing ever so slightly. The man stared at him silently as if he was honestly just seeing him for the first time before a lazy grin appeared on his face, looking more genuine than anything he had ever seen in the past while.

"I'm Tyki. What's your name?"

"I don't have a name."

This seemed to amuse Tyki as a brow raised and amusement coloured his face.

"Really? Have some odd parents did you?" He asked and actually chuckled when he received a glare. "So then what do people call you?"

"They don't call me anything." The ex-priest replied. "The person I was before is dead. I no longer exist." He explained coldly. He did not feel like delving into his past with strangers. He should've died that day when that state alchemist destroyed his life. Blew up his village during the war.

He had felt his blood, warm and sticky, running down his face. He had felt the pain like fire in his arm and he knew then that he was a dead man. He should've been dead.

But his brother…oh his brother.

He absently clutched at his arm as he frowned. No. He wasn't the man he used to be.

A light seemed to flare in Tyki's eyes and his smile vanished briefly before a corner of his lip pulled up once more into a sly smile. The ex-priest could feel the intensity of the other man's gaze like a fire poker, even through those thick glasses.

"You don't say?"

* * *

It was several hours before Ed was able to put himself into motion once more. His hand fell and gripped the wheel of the chair tightly and with a shove he pushed forward, Al starting at the sound and snapping to attention quickly.

"Stay here."

"What?" The younger brother asked in startled confusion as Ed's quiet command reached him. Ed didn't stop as he continued to roll himself back towards the entrance of the tent, people giving the wheelchair room to move as he drew closer.

"Stay here." He merely commanded again, and then he disappeared into the sea of people leaving Al alone with Ed's medication in his hands. Dr. Marvin had long since been taken from them since his medical abilities were found out and he had been unintentionally drafted into helping out. Al could still see him every now and then popping up amongst the crowd.

Al struggled with following his brother's command, fidgeting restlessly as he stood outside the tent and drawing several stares. He watched the people pass, listened to the cries of the villagers, of the village itself, and tried not to let his mind wander too much for fear of where it would go.

He was watching some more men dressed in blue scout out among the edges of the crowd, a few coming together and talking, exchanging nods and serious looks when his thoughts cut off instantly at the sound of wheels coming too close to him to be unintentional.

His eyes snapped up quickly and he saw his brother looking no different than usual despite the sudden hardness of his eyes.

"Brother?" Al asked quickly, concern lacing his words. "Are you alright? What happened?" _'Why'd you leave me behind?' _He wanted to ask instead but refrained. Ed only looked away as he answered, his gaze quickly finding the military men that Al had been watching only moments before.

"It was nothing Al."

'_You're lying.' _Al thought instantly. He could tell. He could always tell. Ed was a terrible liar, at least when it came to lying to him. But why? Why lie to him?

"Ed…" Al whispered and his brother's jaw twitched. But he still remained silent and Al felt irritation build inside of him. "Brother." He said firmly, anger seeping into his voice. He could see his brother's shoulders set but yet there was still no noise from his older brother.

Al inwardly steeled himself. He didn't want to play this card but he knew how it affected his brother. It was their mother's move, her way of scolding and it still brought Edward around as if she was right there, ready to give him heck.

"Edward Van Elric!" Al practically barked, Ed's head whiplashing, eyes wide and mouth already falling open with protests and defenses on his tongue.

Recognition slowly filtered over his face and his face turned sour, eyes scowling as he relaxed into his seat. "I hate when you do that." He remarked bitterly before his eyes cloud with memories.

Al relaxes, his voice turning soft. "I know."

Silence stretches between them for a moment before Al shifts, still persistent. "Brother, what happened?" He asks again. Ed's face scowls so darkly that Al fears that perhaps he has gone too far and should've let his older brother be before Ed lets out a long sigh and slumps. Saying nothing he uses his arm to roll up the limp sleeve hiding his stump, allowing Al to see the bandages.

_New_ bandages.

They were pristine and white where his other ones, although freshly changed that morning, had begun to color already.

Al stared.

"You got your skin sewed over." He muttered, his voice barely a whisper, Ed yanking the sleeve back down as if the metal voice was an alarm, setting him back into motion. He didn't know why but the fact that Ed had actually sewed the wounds shut seemed so…definitive.

It made everything…their situation…seem all that more real.

Ed truly was missing an arm and a leg.

* * *

Even with everything that they brought with them in preparation of the worst case scenario upon reaching Risembool, the squad of medics and military personnel were running low on supplies and a report still had to be sent back to King Bradley describing the scene and the idea behind the attack.

True it could be done over the secured travelling phones that they brought with them for special emergencies but some things just couldn't be conveyed properly with several ears paying close attention and taping into the lines. No, sometimes it was best to go in person.

That was why Hughes and two other military militias found themselves huddled on what had once been the Risembool train station. Although the station was quite a fair way out of town it hadn't been left unmarked by the attack. At least half of it was burned and charred into what Hughes could only guess could've been a bomb, one of the ticket booths completely lost while the other looked crushed and wounded, still managing to stay upright but looking like it would tip at any moment with just enough force.

"How much longer?" One man, Robert, asked as he gazed out at the tracks where their ride would be emerging.

Hughes didn't have to even look down at his watch as he answered. "5 more minutes." He replied easily. He was eager to be away from here, back with his beautiful wife. Kyle, the other man in uniform, gave a yawn as he sat propped amongst the pile of crates and empty supplies that they were to take back, fill up, and then ship right back. This was only supposed to be kept up until Risembool could be put back on its feet, but who knew how long it was before that could be.

Robert gave a grunt and turned to survey the rest of the scenery. It was uncomfortable silence for the rest of the five minutes until eventually the shrill of a whistle punctured the air, the sight of a rusted red train pulling into view.

Robert straightened and Kyle leapt to his feet, Hughes only watching as the train screeched, slowing down to stop at the station. The sound was loud and grating, yet in its midst Hughes thought he could hear a metal clank, faint but apparent.

Quirking a brow he looked around but nothing was amiss.

The train finally came to a stop and Kyle and Robert were eagerly filling their arms with the supply boxes, pausing temporarily to talk with the conductor who pointed down to the free storage cars. Apparently they were as anxious to leave as he was. They were practically running, already leaving only one box behind.

Picking up the box himself, Hughes followed after them, grunting slightly at the weight as he trekked to the back of the train and slid the door open with his foot as best as he could, light spilling into one of the multiple cars filled to the brim with boxes of all sizes and shapes. Kyle was placing his last box on a pile when the stack tumbled, one falling to the side and knocking Hughes sideways onto the ground.

"Ack!"

Kyle paused and blinked at the high pitched shout of surprise. "Sir?" He asked as Hughes made no move to regain himself. "Are you alright."

"I'm fine." Hughes reassured, still unmoving before he suddenly smiled, "Just caught me by surprise is all. Nothing to worry about." He continued with ease. Kyle smiled in relief, quickly righting the overturned stack of empty food containers before exiting the room, not bothering to notice how Hughes was still crouched on the floor, or how his grip on the box was a little too tight.

When the door slid closed Hughes watched it for a few seconds before his gaze turned back to the box in his hands, the lid having propped open in his fall and unveiling golden eyes looking back at him.

In one fluid motion Hughes upturned the box, scolding words on his tongue, and they vanished the instant the boy hit the ground. He hit it with someone who had no balance to even try and catch themselves, the wind knocking straight out of him as he landed on his back, mouth opening in a gasp of a cry. As his air returned he scrambled to right himself but found it extremely difficult with only one arm and one leg.

Hughes wasn't sure whether to pity the child or be encouraged by his efforts.

Either way all he could do was stare before he realized that he was being glared at quite openly, the boy settling for just sitting on the ground with his back propped up against one of the other boxes.

Yet despite himself and the situation, Hughes found himself talking, looking first at the boy and then at the box in his hands.

"How'd you fit inside the box?"

The child's face seemed to twitch into a mini spasm before he answered with ground teeth. "The box is quite large…I'm _not_ small!"

Hughes blinked before waving that away as if it was simply a fly. "No no, I mean what happened to the stuff inside the box. All these boxes were filled with things that needed to be replenished for the camp back at Risembool." Hughes shook the now empty box. "How'd you fit inside the box?"

Golden eyes stared at him before he stubbornly turned his face away. "I made it."

An eyebrow rose. "You made it?" Hughes asked slowly. Subconsciously his hands slowly glided over the box, a perfect replica to the high-grade military all-terrain ones that had the Fuhrer's seal on them. His eyes slowly fell to follow the path his hands were making, marvelling in the child's work.

He didn't bother to ask how he made it. He worked among state alchemists, he knew that alchemy was everywhere. Age wasn't always a factor in one's skill, clearly not in a case like this.

"What's your name?" Hughes asked, eyes still fixed on the empty box.

Ed watched him reproachfully, trying to slide even more into the corner of the box he was pressed against. "Edward…"

Hazel eyes made an appearance once more and they shone with mirth.

"I'm Maes Hughes, Edward. And you have quite some talent. Maybe I'll let you slide after all." He said as grabbed the lid, put it back on the box and set it down casually on the ground, oblivious to the fact that the train was slowly beginning the lurch beneath their feet, pulling away from the station as the whistle trilled in the air.

Ed's scowl disappeared into mild shock as he just stared at the man blankly.

"Hell," Hughes continued. "I may just even spring you out when we stop at Central. With only an arm and a leg you're gonna need someone to help you get back into that box."

Ed couldn't even bring himself to say anything back, only gaping at how everything played out as Hughes grinned and slid the door open, closing it behind him with a solid thunk, never hearing the rustling of boxes and the other voice call out for his brother.

* * *

She woke with a scream tearing from her mouth, sweat drenching her forehead and eyes wide.

Her voice choked off as reality crashed around her and her hands trembled as they clutched at the sheets, squeezing reassurance from them. Her sheets, although usually silky and comforting, felt choking and suffocating and she was quick to throw them off as she swung herself upright, gulping in air.

'_Just a dream. Just a dream Leenalee.'_

She squeezed her eyes shut, forcing the images out of her head as she ran trembling hands through her hair, untangling the mess her long black locks had become.

"It's no use…" She whispered to the darkness of her room. She could still see them. There were so many of them, small thin bodies reaching up, forced upon command to grab the orb of innocence offered towards them, a room full of people watching…commanding…

Hands would reach the ball of light, grasping its warmth, and then there would be screams. Screams like nothing she had ever heard before. Tortured, brutalized, murdered screams as the light turned red and fierce, whipping out like razors and scouring the bodies, blood splashing and colouring the air.

Yet again and again they would try until they would die, the room of people shaking their heads while Leenalee peered through the crack in the door and screamed for their lives.

That was years ago and yet in her darkest of days it still haunted her.

'_The fallen ones…'_

Her body shuddered before her face screwed up and she cried silently into her hands, the innocence lying in her boots at her bedside thrumming to the beat of her heart.

* * *

Ed and Al discussed in length how much they could trust this Maes Hughes. They had overhead the few military men discuss leaving town and the opportunity seemed perfect. They had obviously discussed it in the short time period they had but it seemed quite clear what they had to do.

They had to leave too.

They had no life back in Risembool.

Most people had no life left in Risembool.

Fitting Ed into a transmuted box had been rather easy, with some help from Al, but the armored boy seemed very wary about taking himself apart. In the situation he was in it was justly granted. But the idea of leaving Risembool seemed to have sparked something inside Edward so he had taken great measures to reassure Al that he would be put together again and that Ed definitely knew how to do that.

Once Hughes had left Ed had immediately begun a very tiresome and rather difficult game of Marco Polo with his brother who was split up inside various boxes so as not to draw suspicion with how heavy the boxes were. It took at least four hours for Ed to find all the pieces and another three for Al to be completely assembled.

Assembling Al seemed to disturb Ed somewhat greatly despite the younger Elric's reassurances that he was alright and he couldn't feel anything, although that only reminded Ed of another fact of their situation which only worsened the mood. They spent two of the three hours trying to put him together by hand before Ed got frustrated and grabbed the chalk from the pocket of his pants, using alchemy to reassemble his metal brother.

He made sure to fix all the dents.

There was a knock on the door and they fell deathly silent, both halfway through an argument about the trust one should place in the military.

"Ed," Hughes whispered rather loudly from the other side of the door. "It's Hughes."

Ed frowned. "What are we best friends now?" Ed asked Al quietly, Al only shrugging. "Come in." Ed called back when he realized that he couldn't get up to reach the door and asking Al to do it would raise all sorts of questions. His wheelchair had been ditched in Risembool in a minor miscalculation. It couldn't very well fit in the box and they couldn't smuggle it aboard without raising suspicion. Until they reached a destination Ed had to rely on Al. and then make a new wheelchair out of alchemy.

The door slid open and Hughes was standing there, a small thing of food in his hands. He stepped inside and shut the door quickly and then suddenly seemed to realize he and Ed weren't alone.

"Oh."

Al didn't move a muscle.

And then Hughes seemed to remember something, blinking twice as he looked between the two. He remembered them. The people outside the tents all seemed to mesh together as sad as that may sound, but they had managed to catch his attention once or twice.

The armor definitely helped.

But it hadn't just been the hulking metal that caught his gaze. It had been the air around them. Everyone else had come flocking to the tents fighting.

Fighting for survival.

Fighting for clothes.

Fighting for treatment.

They had just stood there, staring and looking lost and defeated as the people formed and passed by them. Apparently they had more life in them than he imagined.

Remembering himself Hughes offered the food towards the smaller of the two.

"I brought you something. I don't think there's anything back here you can eat."

Ed watches him carefully and Hughes would've been unnerved if after a moment he slowly reaches his hand out and takes it. "…thanks." He offers slowly, casting a quick look to his brother before setting the food before him. Hughes nods to him, then to Al, and then leaves.

He does this several times more as the trip from Risembool to Central is two days and his curiosity about the boys seems to drive him. The more he visits the less wary they become and he begins to learn a little about them, bit by bit. And he finds them fascinating. It's on his 7th visit that everything changes.

"And so I was say—" He says as he watches Ed break chunks of his bread apart and eat slowly, still uneasy about eating with one hand. Then he stops suddenly, the two boys watching him as his head turns towards the door.

"What's wrong?" Al asks as Hughes walks over and slowly slides it open, peaking his head outside, wind whipping his hair as the train continues to whistle on its course.

"Smoke…there's a fire jus—"

The back of the train explodes.


	12. Fire

**Disclaimer: I don't own FMA or DGrayMan. **

**A/N: I would find this so much easier to write if I had more DGrayMan manga updates. Or you know if I knew the series was over and there would be no more surprises to throw me for a loop. You all know what I'm talking about.**

**P.S.: Is Lero a boy or a girl? My gut instinct says boy. Someone message me if I'm wrong.**

* * *

**Obvious Grief**

**By: animeroxsmyworld**

**Chapter 12: Fire**

* * *

Hughes had been in the middle of talking with the two Elric brothers when something caught his attention. It was feint, barely audible even to him, but his senses were on alert to keep on watch for any patrolling men who might discover his hidden stowaways.

It was because of his caution that his attention had been piqued at the whispering screams and frantic yells. He paused mid-sentence, ears straining to discern whether the words were real or not as the Elrics shot him confused glances.

"What's wrong?" Al asked as the door slides open silently, Hughes peering outside. The rushing wind greets him like a slap, rushing in his ears like pounding drums. But he ignores it as he finds the sight of the yells that he can now find as people run around the back cars. The cars are ablaze in red and orange flames, the fire shooting high and plumes of smoke snaking out as if to claim the sky, trailing behind the train like a carpet of grey and black.

"Smoke…" He manages, eyes entranced by the fire as it dances quickly across the wood, almost too fast to be natural. "There's a fire just—"

That's all he can manage to say before the back cars he had been staring at explode. The force sends him flying, the storage car the three reside in flinging forward and crashing into the other cars as if the train had suddenly become an accordion. Boxes rain down upon the two boys as Hughes hits the side of the doorframe, the sliding door smashing into his stomach and rendering him winded and halfway out the room as flaming debris flies into the sky, showering the ground along the tracks. A loud screech rips apart the air as the train is forced violently off the tracks and washes onto the hills of grass, the people at the very front of the train spilling out in shocked cries.

"Wha…what happened?" Ed groans, his voice muffled as he pulls himself to safety, Hughes kicking the door off his stomach with a loud bang as he struggles to find air. Al is quick to come to their aid, the many advantages to his armored body.

If Hughes had any other injuries he didn't let it show as he rolled up to his feet with the practiced ease of a military man, his hand momentarily coming up to the wall to steady himself before he was halfway out the door.

"The back of the train exploded." He informed them with a quick look over his shoulder as he listened to the people scream and pour out of the train, the workers working fervently to try and calm the roaring flames. He was torn between going off to help or staying with the two boys who clearly couldn't help themselves and would raise many questions if left on their own.

His eyes darted between the two and Al seemed to see the conflict on his face.

"We'll be fine." The boy assured.

"Are you sure?" Hughes asked. He couldn't just leave them but that fire was continuing to grow.

The helmet gave a firm nod and gestured towards the door. "We'll be fine. Go." He encouraged and Hughes dashed down the hall leaving the two alone.

* * *

The train pulled to a stop and the destination was called throughout all the cars. The men in the storage car strained to hear the voice since it didn't boom over to the last few cars, all thought to just be storage to regular folks.

Scar lumbered upright and made towards the door. He wasn't surprised to see Tyki rise as well.

"This your stop?" The dark haired man asked as he jerked a thumb towards the exit, effectively stepping in front of it and blocking Scar from moving. The Ishbalan stared down at him before giving a single nod.

"It is."

Tyki let out a small grin before holding his hand out. "Well then I guess this is where we say good-bye. We're continuing on to Lior. I heard they need some extra help out over there."

Scar continued to stare at him before he gave a grunt and slowly took Tyki's hand and giving it a single shake, Tyki wincing at the harshness of the motion. As Scar made to retract his hand Tyki grabbed it and in words only Scar could hear, whispered, "The Earl is always looking for dead men in Edo."

Scar tensed as Tyki retracted, a friendly smirk on his face but his eyes gleaming. Scars lips pressed together tightly, hiding the confusion the obvious dark message created in him, and shoulders his way out onto the station, Tyki waving goodbye until the door to the storage car shuts close. A sigh soon fills the air and his companions visibly relax.

"He was a piece of work he was."

"You think he ever killed a man?" Another asked as the usual cards are dealt, the other worldlessly picking them up.

"I wouldn't doubt it. He just…I dunno…he had that air about him. A dangerous fellow I would say. And did you see the size of that scar on his face? That's a war wound right there. You don't get something like that by being friendly."

"I know what you mean. What do you think Tyk? …Tyki? Hey…where did Tyki go?"

Gazes shifted around the car, heads craning to look in all directions, but the tall man was gone.

When Scar got off the train he couldn't shake the feeling that he was being watched. He watched his back like a hawk for two straight days but found absolutely nothing. He could only shrug it off to nagging paranoia as he walked down the streets, his sunglasses firmly in place to protect his eyes from the bright sunshine beating down upon him.

Maybe it was just his senses flaring with the knowledge of how dangerous his path was now going to become.

He tried not to let his arm twitch, his stomach rolling as he bobbed through the crowds, but his face gave way to a deep scowl. It stayed etched on his face as he set himself at the task at hand, throwing himself into his research.

He had double checked before coming here, but he needed to make sure.

He walked up to the citizen's library, almost losing himself in a passing crowd, and missing the tall shadow that stood looming over on a nearby building. Tyki couldn't help frowning from where he sat on the roof of a high office building, a cigarette held forgotten in his fingers as Scar entered the library and disappeared from view.

"And here I thought you were going to do something interesting." He muttered as he flung his cigarette away, watching listlessly as it fell all the way to the ground below, just missing a pedestrian.

He had been sure of it when he had met the man on the train.

He was something special.

He could see it in his eyes.

They were the eyes of hatred.

Tyki loved those eyes.

But as Tyki sat ontop of the rooftop, waiting for Scar to emerge, he was beginning to have doubts. Maybe he had misjudged this man. He knew now that he was indeed a man. On the train he had misjudged him for an akuma, for who else can already be dead? But he had tried several times to use his Noah prowess to contact his akuma side since leaving the train and ended up with nothing.

So he was human.

And if indeed the kind of human Tyki thought, then a very interesting human indeed.

"Ugh! What could he possibly be doing in there?" Tyki groaned as he stared at the library doors. He would call this whole thing off if the man emerged with an arm load of books. If he was the wordy type then Tyki was totally wrong about everything and he really would head off to Lior to help his friends with their construction job.

It was several more painfully long minutes before Scar emerged.

Thankfully without any books.

But the look in his eyes spoke volumes and Tyki's curiosity was piqued. Before he knew it he was jumping along the shadows of the rooftops to keep in stride with the man below who was walking with a strong sense of purpose. Soon they were off the main roads and in the residential area of the city, the houses bright and colourful and ever so welcoming in the sunlight.

Scar slowed his pace and Tyki did the same from above.

"Come on. What're you up to?" He goaded as he crouched by a chimney. Scar looked hesitant as he pulled a small scrap of paper from his pocket, looked at it, then the houses, paper again, house, then tucked the paper away. He strode towards 1167 and rang the doorbell.

Silence.

A few minutes.

He rang the doorbell again.

"For god's sake I'm coming! Stop ringing the blasted bell!" A voice bellowed from inside. In two short seconds the door was flung open by a very rotund man with a beet red face and a bottle of beer clutched tightly in one hand. He was still dressed in his pyjamas but the glare on his face was menacing enough to not make it comical in the least.

He looked Scar over before his glare intensified.

"What the fuck do you want?" He spat.

"State Alchemist Bill Mavers?" Scar started gruffly, his eyes unflinching as he stood rather ominously in the doorway. "The Copper Bar Alchemist?"

The man blinked twice before swearing and taking a swig of his beer. "That was a few years back. I ain't into that shit anymore. And if you're here to try and recruit me again you can get the fuck off my doorstep."

Scars hand suddenly flew out and encased the man's face, his pudgy flesh protruding from the spaces between his fingers. He gasped and wheezed for air in the deathlike grip, beer shattering on the ground as hands scrambled up to try and free himself.

"May the creator judge you for your crimes." Scar stated simply before his arm glowed, runes visible even through the thick cloth of his sleeve. And then there was blood and silence.

Bill's head exploded, the back of his skull erupting in a shower of skull and brain and blood as the same happened to his nose and eyes, the Ishbalan barely flinching as it landed on his face and smeared his jacket. His grip didn't let up until all he was holding was a mangled mess, and even then he threw the body viciously back inside the house on the abnormally quiet street.

Tyki watched as Scar closed the door, hiding his crime from the world. The man discarded his jacket, wiping his face clean on its sleeve first before throwing it in a rose bush, and then taking off down the street at a much more leisurely pace.

Tyki watched…and he grinned.

* * *

Road stared down at the mathematical equation before her, a look of utter boredom on her face as she doodled in between the pages. She had pulled out her homework to help her pass the time as she waited to hear back about the akumas she sent to fetch the innocence, but it seemed to be dragging it out more with each question she tried to solve.

Why couldn't she ever receive any fun homework.

Ugh, homework.

How dull…how…_mortal_.

She was just finishing a picture of a squiggly looking bunny in a top hat when she tensed, eyes snapping up and staring forward. Her head was pulsating quickly and her vision was blurring.

That meant only one thing.

She took a breath to right herself before standing, just briefly remembering to grab her school books. "It's been awhile." She muttered to herself as she turned around, the tree she was leaning against promptly caving and twisting until it suddenly turned into an ornate looking door. She walked through without a second thought and only a second after the door clicked shut behind her does the tree return to its present state.

Despite her lifespan she never spent much time in the Noah estate…and yet as soon as the door closed and she finds herself in its hallway, she feels instantly at home. She pauses for a moment to inhale, filling her nose with the scent in the air, and she finds her head has soothed, her vision has cleared.

She just wants to curl into an armchair and never leave.

This must be what humans call nostalgia.

She fights the urge to do just that as the distant sound of phones ringing catch her attention and drag her down the long hallway. With each step she feels a genuine smile tug at her and before long she finds herself humming, her arms swaying at her side.

"Mistress Road!"

The pink umbrella flies at her suddenly when she is merely two feet away from the rather bustling office room. She catches Lero roughly around the shaft and swings him up rather wildly, once or twice until she flips him up so his pumpkin face is aligned with hers.

"Miss…Mistress Road…" The umbrella croaks in greeting, suddenly dizzy from her rough torment.

"Hello Lero. It's been awhile." She grins and she taps his head against the wall earning a sharp yelp from the umbrella. Oh if only he knew that her Noah nostalgia actually had made her miss him.

"Road," A voice suddenly calls from the office, almost inaudible amongst all the ringing phones. "Please leave Lero alone and come in here."

Here face goes blank and the small girl instantly drops the umbrella. She moves inside the room and notices the ringing audibly lessen as thick glasses look up at her, a hand pushing away a phone as if the distance would make it ring less.

And knowing him, it just might.

"My Earl." She greets, smiling once more, her legs dipping in a quick curtsey. She had never been fond of having to do the curtsey and remain so formal, but they were alone, just the two of them. One could never be too careful. Even among the Noah, the Earl could be questionable.

He waved a dismissive hand at her and she relaxed, her legs straightening once more.

There's a small silence and she waits for him to talk. He doesn't and she looks around before clearing her throat, the sound small but noticeable. "What can I help you with?"

He had been the one to call out to her. To bring her back to this place.

He stands up just as a phone ring, his eyes darting to it, picking the receiver up and slamming it back down without even checking to see who was on the other line. This was serious. His eyes meet hers but they're warm and his smile seems wider than usual.

"We have another Noah in the family."

* * *

It was in moments like this that Al was thankful for this armoured body.

Under normal circumstances the thought would never cross his mind but as the chaos on the train grew he found that it was very handy indeed.

"What should we do brother?" Al asked as he peaked outside the doorframe, Ed held easily in his large arms. Yet another benefit that his body gave him. He could carry Ed around as if he was simply a leaf. And with Ed missing a whole leg, that was a big issue.

"We can't really do anything. Look." Ed said, raising his hand to point at the burning back cars. They weren't even standing anymore, they had no previous structure, they were just big balls of fire. Yet all aligned on the sides were people fervently working to put it out, be it workers on the train or just good citizens. "They're already trying to put it out. We'd just get in the way."

Al's shoulders drooped. "…I suppose." He admitted sullenly.

Al looked around before edging out of the wrecked storage car, stepping over the debris and ducking this way and that to make his way towards the front of the train, towards the undamaged section.

"What do you think will happen to the rest of the train?" Al asked, gesturing with a shoulder towards the part of the train not under heat. Ed frowned in thought as Al began to enter the passenger cars, many people scattered and very few still in their seats. Only a head or two turned to look at them.

"A second train will have to come to get the remaining passengers." Ed thinks out loud after a minute. "But then this one might get scraped. Or an alchemist might have to come and repair it. But either way it's out of commission for a while."

Al is about to nod when one of the people who remained in their seats, a little girl, screams. It's shrill and her hand is out and pointing and for a shattering moment Al thinks it's him she's screaming at when her voice is suddenly drowned out by the hair raising sound of peeling metal.

The roof of the car is peeling back, the noise almost unbearable to all but him. Once more he's benefitted by this body. Sun begins to pour into the gaping wound when the head of a monster is thrust forward, shadowing the light and causing more screams, even more so as a second one joins it.

They look like large insects, beetles maybe, with spiked reptilian bodies. One opens its mouth and the beginnings of fire and sparks light up its throat, reflecting perfectly in its eight eyes. The other scowls however and is quick to smack the other one viciously, the bright firing dying and leaving smoke to trail from its jaw.

"Are you a moron? Pay attention! It's right there!"

Al doesn't know what part to consider more terrifying. The mere presence of monsters like these or the fact that they gestured towards him when they talked. Either way he knows enough to be frightened and so does everyone else.

The car is alive with motion and Al…is frozen.

"Fine! You get the innocence, I deal with the ants." The Fire-breather instructors, nodding his great big skeletal head towards the escaping passengers, who in their panic, have clogged the exit.

"Just hurry up. We can't keep a Noah waiting." The other reminds. Fire-breather's lower jaw unhinges and twists, a grin Al realizes, and he jumps. He lands on the other side of the gaping roof and twists his head inside, pressing flesh against the wall and towards the people.

Al knows what will happen next. He dreads it as the monster opens its jaw—

"ALPHONSE!"

Pure instinct drives Al to jump back, head snapping away from the scene behind him though the sudden source of light tells him a large fire has been lit. The monster in front of him is slowly scaling down the wall, eyes assessing him as his tail swishes back from where it embedded itself on the ground where Al had stood a second ago.

"Brother…" Al whispers shakily as he realizes how trapped his is. Fire at his back and this monster in front of him. "…what should I do?"

Ed is so silent that for once Al fears that he has no plan. That for once Ed, the boy who can always think of something and has always been able to answer him, can't think of anything.

"Run."

"What?" Al whispers back quickly as he continues to move about in accordance to the monster before him as it finishes scaling the wall and now sits in front of them. "I can't! Where—"

Ed jerks his head suddenly to the side and Al instantly understands.

The windows.

Al tightens his grip on his brother and without any hesitation makes a break for the nearest exit to freedom he can. He doesn't see the massive tail from behind.

* * *

The beautifully decorative door twisted and appeared in the wall before swinging open, two people stepping out into the small room. The Earl emerged first with Road following after and pocketing a handful of sweets that she had snatched out of the Noah estate as they left.

"Hate. Hate. I hate them. I hate them. Hate."

The only other occupant in the room was a large man curled up on the bed of the small room. His eyes were wild and unfocused under untangled hair and his muscles were tensed and coiled with stress. He was clammy and sweating and the tips of his fingers were bleeding to the bone as his teeth stripped them of flesh, his mouth continuing to voice hateful words in the process.

He was a scary site.

And yet her heart warmed.

She could recognize family when it was laid out before her.

She stepped forward and laid a hand on his trembling shoulder. He didn't even notice. She pulled a candy from her small pile that she had thieved and offered it forward.

"Here you go." She started softly. "Eat this. It has to taste better than your fingers." She soothed. His muttering stops suddenly and his eyes suddenly lock with hers. He does nothing for ten minutes until suddenly his hand snatches out and steals the candy from her hand.

Road smiles and rubs his back while he unwraps it with bleeding fingers, the Earl explaining the painful transformation to the wrathful soul.


	13. Stand

**Disclaimer: I don't own DGrayMan or FMA**

**AN: I just can't help turning Allen into a little chick magnet when he's younger.**

* * *

**Obvious Grief**

**By: animeroxsmyworld**

**Chapter 13: Stand**

* * *

It wasn't until the fire was gone and safety had been restored that Hughes remembered about the Elrics. He went back to the storage cars and felt temporarily alarmed when he saw no sign of them among the crushed boxes. He continued searching the rest of the train because logically he knew a suit of armor like Alphonse would stick out tremendously even in this state of panic and chaos.

It was then he found Edward.

Knocked out and alone in a char black car. He was crumpled underneath a window, the side of the car looking like it was seconds away from caving in above him and the ceiling peeled away like an orange to let the sun illuminate the skeletal remains piled up by the exit.

It looked like death.

Hughes stared. He stared long enough to commit the scene to memory before remembering why he had come here, and walking purposefully towards the gold head of hair. Hughes rolled him over as carefully as he could, supporting the preteen's head as he called to him.

Eyes fluttered momentarily but didn't open.

"Aw shit." Hughes cussed as he bundled the boy up in his arms, staggering a moment under his weight, and continuing along the rest of the train. He had yet to see Alphonse.

* * *

She tried to hold it together but it was too sweet and she threw her head back and laughed.

"I said shut up!" Envy snapped viciously at the brunette.

Her laughter cut off quickly but the clear amusement stayed painted on her face in a perfect sneer. "You ran away from a human." Lust repeated from where she sat delicately on top of all the piping from the city above. "A little girl." She added, her sneer growing bigger.

Envy glared hatefully.

"I don't think she was human." He growled out murderously. He would get so much joy out of strangling that sinful woman right now if he didn't know that she wouldn't pop right back to life a second later.

Lust rolled her eyes dramatically. "Did you add this mysterious frightening _child_ in your report to Wrath?" She asked as she crossed her ankles and leaned back to try and find a more comfortable position to terrorize Envy with. He almost made it too easy when he brought back information like that. He should've just gutted the child then and there if she honestly did make him uncomfortable. That's what any smart homunculus would've done.

The growl she received was all the answer she needed and she couldn't help chuckling again.

"I said shut up!" He roared, lunging at her this time. She rolled away quickly, her hand swiping and racking across his body with razor precision. The cuts were deep and deadly to a normal person, but Envy merely hit the piping, gripping it for support as his skin grafted back together without a drop of blood spilling. He lunged again and Lust seemed to dance as her hands moved through the air, batting away his anger.

"That's enough both of you." A voice called from the chair, the two freezing instantly. "It saddens me to see you fight like this."

"She started it!" Envy accused with a jabbing finger while Lust danced to the side of the quiet Gluttony who had watched the whole ordeal with unblinking eyes, a finger sticking from his mouth.

"I'm sorry Father." Lust replied coldly, yet politely as she sat down beside the fat gluttonous man and made to inspect her nails, as if she hadn't used them to slice apart one of the occupants in the room mere seconds ago.

An aged golden head nodded before Father's hand beckoned towards Envy. "Come here. Envy come, and tell me about this strange child."

* * *

The sound of ringing filled the hotel room. A bleary eye cracked open as a hand roamed sleepily for the phone that sat on the bedside table as the ringing continued. Cross finally managed to grab the phone, rolling in his bed for better purchase, and pulled the receiver all too roughly up to his face.

"…hello?" He grunted sleepily before his ears registered the dial tone echoing back.

The ringing continued.

He blinked, brain still foggy from sleep as he stared at the receiver before realization sunk in and he placed the receiver back in its hold.

"Tim!" He croaked out sternly, the golden golem sitting at the foot of his bed and continuing to ring. At his command the golem flew towards him and nestled on the bedside table with a solid thud. Now more awake then before, Cross hooked the phone correctly into the golem, the golden orb instantly going silent as the redhead placed the receiver back to his ear.

"If this is the Black Order I'm hanging up." He greeted gruffly as he sat up in his bed and rifled around for a pack of cigarettes.

"The what?" The voice on the other side responded in genuine confusion.

Cross paused for a second before regarding Tim carefully. He gave the number of his golem to so few people. But most all of them were either Marshalls or old Black Order companions. Even contacts for the order at best.

"Who is this?" He asked after a second.

There was the sound of constant chattering and a few shouts before the man spoke up again. "It's Marvin. Dr. Marvin, from Risembool."

Cross' brow furrowed before pieces slowly began to reveal themselves. Risembool returned to him in a sudden flash, especially the part where Cross passed the good doctor his number, and Cross relaxed.

"Ahhh." Was his response as he rubbed his forehead. "It's coming back to me. So, what's the news Doc?"

"Excuse me?" The doctor asked, once again perplexed. Cross figured that was due to someone shouting the poor man's name the moment Cross had tried to speak. What on Earth was going on over there?

"Why the call?" Cross repeated tiredly as he managed to find a lighter and lit a cigarette while cradling the phone receiver in his shoulder and his neck.

"The Elric brothers." The man started. Images of blood and gold and screams flashed to the front of Cross' mind and his smoke paused halfway to his mouth. "They've disappeared."

"Disappeared how?"

"They're…They're just not here! They're not in Risembool anywhere. The cities been completely cleaned out and they're not at the medic center. They're not in my care. They're simply gone. Most likely snuck away somehow."

Cross' gaze glossed over as the doctor continued to ramble possible scenarios into his ear, his mind tuning out.

'_You should've obtained that innocence when you had the chance.'_

* * *

"You should've looked for him!"

"Trust me Edward I did." Hughes said calmly as the blond raged in front of him. Hughes had walked the train seven times with Edward unconscious in his arms, looking for the armor clad youngster, but Alphonse was nowhere. Not in the train, not around the train…nowhere.

"You're lying!" Ed accused viciously, his glare black with anger and resentment.

Hughes could only sigh. Many people had been hurt in the fire and transportation had been arranged to the nearest town so that they could be treated at the hospital. The train had been close to its destination and the closest hospital happened to be the Central Hospital. Hughes himself had been issued into the transport car with Edward for treatment for any mild concussion he may have sustained during the explosion. He was back home like he wanted, but he felt a large hole of obligation towards the hateful child in front of him.

"I did all I could."

"It wasn't good enough! I need to go out there and look for him!" Ed shouted and flung his blankets away before an odd expression crossed his face as he stared at his legs. In all his fury he had forgotten about his missing leg. His face turned a shade of red, whether from the anger or in embarrassment, Hughes didn't know, and Ed flung himself solidly back into his pillow.

Tense silence greeted them. Hughes didn't know what else to say. He could ask Ed about Al's apparent disappearing act but the blow to the head had left Ed slightly fuzzed and he didn't remember much after the fire. Only bits and pieces remained and most of it made no sense. Even more so when he tried to voice them. Something about fire breathing bugs.

Though he knew for certain Al had been there.

Hughes waited until Edward's rage fumed into silent grieving resignation, the tension coiled in that small body unfurling as the boy seemed to just give up and become hopeless. Yet he had enough anger left to roll over and face the wall, away from Hughes. Hughes sighed after a few more minutes and stood up, the scraping of his chair breaking the silence.

"I'm really sorry about this Edward. I—"

"What's a Noah?"

Hughes blinked at the sudden interruption. Ed's voice, although sudden, had been low and rather soft. As if he had been mulling it over for a while but had been too caught up to actually voice it. Hughes' mind fumbled at the sudden question, and for an answer to it.

"I'm not quite positive." Hughes replied slowly "From a religious standpoint there was a man named Noah who survived a flood that wiped out the whole world by building a giant ark and putting two of each animal upon it." He offered. "But I don't quite think that's what you're asking."

Ed's brow furrowed and he shook his head. "No it's not."

"Well I can look around in the Military archives for you if you want. It's usually where I find most of my answers." He replied, lip twisting up weakly at the shot at himself. It disappeared as he ran a hand through his hair, fidgeting at the blondes sudden silence once again.

"Just remember, if there's anything I can do to help…" He offered up, letting the sentence hang before nodding and making for the door. He opened it and was just about to step through when Ed spoke up.

"I want automail."

* * *

Roy almost tripped walking to the door but righted himself at the last minute, catching himself on the side of the house. He grunted as he straightened out his jacket and rang the doorbell. He could hear it bellow throughout the house and waited as footsteps echoed, closing in.

The door creaked open on a heart shaped face, green eyes, and a very pregnant belly. Roy blinks quickly in surprise, a look of shock on his face before he chuckles and shakes his head.

"I keep forgetting that you're pregnant Gracia."

She chuckled as well, a hand unconsciously moving to her stomach. "I wish I could. Hello Roy."

"Is Maes around? I heard he got back from a research mission out in Risembool. Figured we'd have a night out at the bar, relive some of the good days." He smirked.

"Actually I think he's at the hospital right now." She replies, a look of concentration on her face as she tries to remember where exactly her husband said he would be. He had explained the whole story to her but was he taking Edward to an automail shop or was he getting fitted for automail at the hospital?

Roy pales. "The hospital? Did something happen?"

"What? Oh my no! He's just—Roy!"

Roy was already getting back into his car leaving Gracia standing on her front step. He had never been more frustrated with traffic before than on that day when he raced to the hospital. Once there he barely even talked to the nurses, even those who knew his name.

"Hughes? I think he's in room 33C." One of the nurses said, also knowing Hughes quite well, though not for the same reasons as Mustang. Roy thanked her and went on his way.

If Hughes had somehow managed to get shot or injured on a simple research mission with a pregnant wife waiting for him at home than Roy was prepared to tell the bastard off. His mind was already racing with things he could say.

And it all went crumbling away when he slid into the room and found Hughes talking to an automail mechanic next to a blond boy's bedside. All eyes turned to him as he stood frozen in the doorway.

"Roy?" Hughes asked in confusion while the others continued to stare at the intrusion.

Realization at his misinterpretation fell on him and anger, at himself, swelled. "You're wife said you were at the hospital! I thought it meant you got shot!" He yelled. "And who the hell are these people?!" He continued, gesturing to the two strangers in the room, his anger unbridled for however brief.

Hughes patted the mechanic on the shoulder as he walked towards his best friend, smiling despite the yelling. "It's good to see you too."

Once the door closed behind them Mustang sagged and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Sorry, I lost myself."

Hughes waved it off as they took a seat nearby on the plush benches. "My fault for not seeing you earlier. I've just been busy since getting back." He gestured towards the room and it took Roy a few seconds to figure it out, mainly from the lack of not paying much attention to much else in the room.

"The kid?" He asked. "Why? Who's the kid?"

And then Hughes explained his trip and his involvement with the Elrics, leaving out the military confidential stuff that was only for the Fuhrer's ears. No matter how close he was to Roy, even he couldn't share things like that. And Roy knew that.

"What's going to happen to him once you help him get automail?" Roy asks as the story comes to an end. He doesn't have to question why Hughes is even bothering to help the child. Hughes was always a loyal man. He stuck to his causes and he had seen a cause in this child.

"I don't know." He admits after a second. "He's welcome to stay with me and Gracia until he can get onto his feet…literally I suppose, but he's fired up to find his brother. The moment he can move on his own I figure he's going to take off into the night and never be heard from again."

"Well there are ways to search for a person without moving around." Roy pointed out as he stood and rubbed a sore muscle in his back. Hughes nodded absently. Yet he figured his life had just gotten harder.

* * *

"When are we going to be leaving Ametris?" Allen asked he ducked around a group of window shoppers.

"Where would you rather be?" Cross asked distantly from where he stood inspecting the flyers pinned to the board of a sleezy looking bar. Most seemed to be flyers for plays and other such performances but a few here and there featured up and coming business'. And the more…adult flyers had directions to places Allen was sure his master would ban him going, but would spend all _his _hard earned money on.

Then come back smelling like alcohol and sweat.

Cross picked a few off and tucked them into his jacket, which ones Allen didn't know. He just made a face behind his master's back and continued the conversation.

"Well nowhere really it's just we've usually moved on by now. Maybe Australia. Or Egypt?" Excitement began to creep into his voice as they swerved down a few more streets. Cross stopped suddenly and pulled one of the flyers out of his jacket. He looked at it, then the crammed building, and then the flyer once more. "Well you're not there you're here." Was the tart response as he shoved the flyer back into his jacket. Allen's face soured before Cross disappeared into the building before him, gesturing hurriedly for the white haired boy to get inside quickly before the door shut closed and cut him off.

Allen was his source of money after all.

It wasn't shocking that it was a bar. No, Allen learned to expect as much from his master. What was surprising was the number of female customers inside. There was maybe only two males, all of whom were greatly appreciating the extra number of the opposite sex. Even the bartender was a woman.

A rather large husky woman but a woman none the less.

"This is one of your gross places isn't it?" Allen asked quietly after a second as Cross looked around. What were they called? Strip clubs? Brothels? Allen couldn't quite remember. A fist greeted his head for the remark and his hissed in pain, catching a few eyes.

One of the girls, separated by the rest because of her uniform marking her as an employee, locked onto Allen and a smile lit her face.

"Aww! Madame Christmas! It's a kid!" She cooed as she set her tray of drinks down at an empty table and began to stride forward. A few other girls cooed as well and Allen felt like a frozen animal, struck still in uncomfortable fear. Especially when they remarked about his unusual hair colour and one woman even went so far as to kneel down and pet his head.

It was apparent they never saw kids often in their line of work or they were childless at home.

"Do we even allow kids in here?" Another girl asked the woman behind the counter whom Allen could only assume was Madame Christmas.

The woman blew out smoke from her cigar and fixed the preteen with a stern gaze.

"You planning on drinking?"

"N-No." He squeaked out, finally finding his voice and trotting after Cross who had somehow ignored the flock of girls and was pulling out a seat at the bar.

"You planning on getting any of these girls pregnant?"

His face went beet red so fast he felt like he would faint. Thankfully one of the girls piped up in his place because he didn't trust himself to utter a sound. His brain had shut off completely.

"Madame Christmas!" The first girl scolded sharply, shooting a glare at the older woman.

"Then you're free to stay." She replied flippantly, shooing the girl's glare away with a wave of her hand.

It wasn't until late into the night, when Allen had fallen asleep at the table playing cards with one of the serving girls that Cross got down to business.

"It's been awhile." She started, breaking the silence as she cleaned one of the glasses. Her gaze rose and flicked over his frame silently before returning to the task at hand. "Almost thought I'd never see you again."

"I never expected to be here again." He replied casually as he took a sip of his scotch and cast his eye about the place. "You hired more girls. Things bad on this side of the world?"

She smirked. "I like to have my ear to the ground."

There was silence for several seconds as he continued to drink before she sighed and slung the dishrag over her shoulder. "Ok Cross are we gonna talk about why you're here or should I keep the bar open until dawn? You're son over there is already asleep, let's not drag this out."

He startled, taken aback.

"Son?" He yelped. "He's not my son! I'm simp—"

"_Cross_." She growled, arms crossing and his words died in his mouth. She was merely making a point. She didn't actually care whether or not they were related. She wanted to know why she had been sought out.

He sighed and lowered himself closer to the counter.

"Have you ever heard of the Elric brothers?" He asked after a second. Her brow furrowed and her lips pursed.

"I can't say that I have. What, are they famous or something?" She asked, her voice gravelly as she cast her eye casually around the room. It was nearly empty, two serving girls cleaning the now empty tables near the back. But she knew they were listening.

They were paid to listen.

Cross cast an eye their way too, he knew, but he didn't mind. It was the price for coming here. Besides, they wouldn't act out on their own without the Madame's word.

"Not that I know of." He replied. "But _you'd_ remember if you'd seen them."

Her gaze met his levelly as her thoughts churned his words around into their proper meaning. She blinked before she sighed and pulled her cigar from her mouth, blowing smoke into the air and relaxing against the counter. "I see."

It wasn't if she had gossip on these children, if they were murderous rampaging maniacs, new up and coming war heroes, or even if she did indeed know who these children were.

It was _find _these children.

She waved her dishrag like a whip in the air and silently the two girls left the room as if it was normal for her to dismiss them so simply. Especially after everything they heard. She watched them leave before pulling a notebook from the shelf of the bar and grabbing a pen.

"Ok, tell me what you know."

* * *

He had tried to thrash around, he had tried to scream, he had tried every single thing he could think of but nothing had worked. If anything he had annoyed his kidnappers too the point where they had debated ripping him apart, but whenever their claws seeped past the surface of his metal exterior they would shriek back in pain and hiss swears at him.

"Just let the thing go off." The first monster replied in frustration as Al flailed about in vain, his body only jerking about in the mammoth like claw that encased him. "Mistress Noah will deal with him soon enough."

"He annoys me." The other retaliated but did nothing else to try and shut the armored boy up. He didn't know how long he had been with these things. Hours, days…it was all starting to blur together and he was starting to dread when they would come to a final stop by the pieces of their conversations he could actually understand.

What this Noah person would want with him he didn't know. But he knew he should feel scared. If not for meeting this Noah, then for the fact that with each second spent with these creatures he was getting farther and farther away from his brother.

Was he even alive?

Al could only pray.

They started to slow and Al went deathly still when they stopped, their huge frames exposed upon the foreign rooftops that sloped under their feet. It was a city, a rather large city by the look of it, and although Al could only see lights and rivers and rooftops, he could tell it was completely different from the ones around Risembool.

Where the hell was he?

"Let me go! Let me go, let me go, let me go!" He cried frantically as he launched into another bout of shouting. He earned himself a rough slam into the roof, the metal of his armor making dangerous creaking sounds from the force.

"He's annoying me!" The captor hissed angrily at the other. "When's the mistress going to get here?"

"I'm right here."

The captor flinched as if slapped by female voice and Al tried to crane around to see but all he could see was tile.

"Mistress Noah!" The two exclaimed in both excitement and fear as a figure detached from a chimney. "Forgive us, we didn't see you!"

"Clearly. Though I did just arrive so you're forgiven." She replied before her gaze slid over to the detained armor. A brow rose and suddenly a shoe filled Al's vision. It tapped on his helmet and Al remained perfectly still.

"Is this it?" She asked curiously.

He refrained from twitching at the word it. Actually he refrained from doing anything. Maybe if she believed he was a simple suit of armor, nothing special at all, she would leave him alone.

The akumas seemed to remember themselves.

"Yes! Yes, we did what you asked. This is the one!" They sounded so pleased. She merely nodded before the shoe was replaced with a face. She was a girl…a child of a girl. Only a few years older than Al himself.

He almost called out to her but the look on her face stopped him.

It was of cold calculation.

It wasn't the look of someone who would help him out of this situation. And with the akumas claw still pressing him into the roof he really needed someone to help him. Then without warning her hand slipped into his helmet and pulled it off, green light spilling into the night.

Al gasped but it was hidden by the sound of his helmet popping off.

"You two, leave." She commanded, her eyes never leaving his armor as she turned the helmet over in her hands.

"But mis—"

She turned her head then, her eyes darkening considerably. "I. Said. Leave."

They were gone.

Her eyes slid back in time to witness Al springing to his feet, his hand slamming towards her face.


	14. Resolve

**Disclaimer: Don't own DGrayman or FMA**

* * *

**Obvious Grief**

**By: animeroxsmyworld**

**Chapter 14: Resolve**

* * *

His hand slams into her face with more force than he anticipated and her face lets out a sickening crunch as her body jerks back from the momentum, but she catches herself before she can go reeling too far, the helmet falling from her hands and clattering to the roof in her surprise.

Al stares at the damage he's done.

Her face was caved in, her nose broken and bleeding profusely while her eyes looked like squished grapes, blood gushing from her lips with bits of shattered teeth. He's never done that type of damage to anyone before. Even when he and Edward rough housed. He's never done that type of damage to someone with a single hit.

It's aweing and terrifying.

And then her skin shifts. It bubbles and moves and pops, her skin going a greyish hue and her eyes turning to gold as her skull puffs back to normal, her face reforming itself to its original glory in front of his eyes. She looks completely unfazed by the fact that he had attacked her, her expression blank.

"I didn't know you could move." She states, amusement colouring her voice as she stands and absently touches her neck, the bones cracking as she moves the muscle. Al grabs his forgotten helmet up quickly and places it back onto his chest plate, taking several steps back to distance himself.

"What do you want with me?"

Her eyes go large and she smiles. "You talk too! Does that innocence do anything else for you? Make you fly? Take over bodies?" She asks almost excitedly as she stares at him, her head cocking to the side in silent fascination.

"What do you want with me?!" Al repeats in pure frustration, having yet to receive an answer.

Road sighs although he can tell she's having fun as she as she props herself up against the nearby chimney, blocking his only safe exit. Unless of course he wants to just throw himself off the side of the house, which was looking ever so tempting the more time passed.

"I want the innocence inside you." She replies calmly.

"Innocence?" Al repeated in confusion.

"Yup. I'm going to rip it right from your body. Don't worry it shouldn't hurt you much. I expect you can't feel pain being a suit of armor. Or else you'll die when I take it. Either way it'll all be over for you." She says simply, waving one hand in the air as she grins

Al chooses to run.

He's willing to risk the fall of the roof.

Her eyes narrows and suddenly a candle appears in the air, the bottom pointed to a razor sharp point. Her finger flicks and it whistles through the air. Al turns at the noise and the candle slams into his hand sending him crashing to the tiles below his feet and pinning his arm.

He struggled with his other arm to pry the flaming candle from his hand but it wouldn't budge. It held fast like a massive nail. Her footsteps are as silent as the air until she rests a foot on his chest plate with a small thud and he freezes in his attempt.

"Oh, whoops."

Her face is no longer amused and her golden eyes look like ice as she regards him.

And Al's scared.

Her finger twitches again and another candle appears, suspended in air next to her head.

He begins to try to rise in a panic but she stops him.

"Nuh uh. Unless you want to be scrap." She replies, her voice threatening. To add emphasis to her threat the point of the candle suddenly point to where his heart would be. He doesn't doubt that the blow would be deadly.

How would he be killed? Would it really be so simple? He can be taken apart and put together, this he knows…but how does he die?

Maybe it is so simple.

He hates himself.

He hates her. She can't be human.

He gives up.

He lays perfectly still and yet her candle drives like lightning into his chest. He gasps more out of surprise than pain as it continues to drill through the thick armor.

"This is for hitting me." She explains easily as she watches the candle finish and Al hears the small churning sound as it begins work on the other side of his chest plate when his vision suddenly flashes white and pain flares through him, the boy howling loudly in pain and withering underneath the candles pain.

Road steps off the suddenly convulsing armor when he suddenly goes limp. She raises a brow but silently leans over to reach for the helmet when green light emerges from him.

"_What!"_ She yelps as it shoots off of him like an explosion, ripping through the sky and burning like flames as it burns her skin off her bones and forces her scrambling to the edge of the roof for safety.

The sudden lightshow disappears leaving her seeing spots and regenerating more than half her body. Yet she can see Alphonse is gone, her candles piles of ash on the charred tile. She scrambles to where he was and can just see his metal frame disappear through the manhole.

* * *

He supposed it was better to paint in the sunlight but there was just something so captivating about this bridge in the moonlight that he felt the urge to hunker down on the side of the road and prop up his easel.

The scene began to flow from his brush onto his canvas as he stared at the scene before him, the man barely breathing or stopping to make sure he was indeed grabbing the right colours to capture the moment perfectly.

Some of his students found his need to just sit and paint very annoying, especially since it seemed they always needed to be somewhere.

But that's why he needed to capture everything while he still could. So when the world became so rushed that he had no time to appreciate its beauty he could look at these pictures instead.

He's just filling in the shadow beneath the bridge when a scraping noise fills the air and pulls him from his artistic trance. He manages to just locate the manhole on the road barely 20 feet away from him when the top slides away and a suit of armor comes barreling out, scrambling as if life itself depends on it.

"_I'm coming to get you! I'm coming to get you!" _A voice sings from the sewer pits and not a second later an akuma follows the armors footsteps, a snake looking thing, most unpleasant looking.

"Oh dear." Froir mumbles to himself as he watches the mad dash before he sets his paintbrush aside and stands up. Tiedoll doesn't really register if it's smart or not but his lower lip tucks under his teeth and a loud whistle pierces the air.

Both runners stop and regard him momentarily. The armor is still while the akuma recognizes the rather paint smeared, but still visible, uniform that peeks up at him.

"Exorcist! It's an exorcist!" It hisses before curling back as if scalded by his presence. "I was told to merely retrieve, not to fight! What should I do mistress?" It wailed into the night.

Tiedoll gave the creature little attention as it wailed about its problem between facing him or continuing its chase, and looks around. "Oh dear, looks like all this noise has upset him." He hums to himself. "Or did I just whistle too loud? I wonder…"

The snake continues to wail when a sword suddenly cuts through its head, wrenches out and rounds out and decapitates the lizard looking abomination, the head flying into the air like a ball.

"It was both. And you shouldn't have distracted it." A male voice calls gruffly in annoyance, black eyes watching as the head hits the ground and proceeds to reduce to dust.

"Come now Yu." Tiedoll replies lightly as the younger man sheathes his sword with a huff.

"Was barely even a fight." Kanda mumbles irritably under his breath when the sound of creaking metal interrupts. Tiedoll returns his gaze to the apparent victim in all this to see the armored man staggering back where he had been standing. With all that armor on they can't tell what he's thinking.

Shock?

Confusion?

Gratitude?

It's usually shock. Or fear.

Kanda's eyes narrow and he changes his stance solidly to face the towering armor. "You! What's with the armor!" He barks harshly, his hand resting in preparation on Mugen, the sword practically humming in response to its master's mood.

"Yu!" Tiedoll scolds as he cuffs his student lightly on the shoulder.

He can feel no ill intent coming from the armor before them. It's almost confirmed when a child's voice stutters to life before them, shaking and stumbling from what he could only assume was fear.

"I can't take it off!" The boy replies quickly, most likely due to Kanda's irritable demeanor. Any stranger would be intimidated by it. Anyone who spent time with him would know that's just how he was.

Kanda's eyes narrow in suspicion but Tiedoll's brow furrows in confusion. "Really? How strange…" The Marshall mutters before gesturing the boy closer.

He doesn't move to which Tiedoll smiles.

"Don't worry we won't bite. Please, come closer." He waves and a few hesitant seconds later Alphonse is before them, hands covering a gaping wound in his chest plate. Tiedoll frowns in worry.

Had they been too late?

Had he been injured?

Akuma poison?

"Did you get hit? Are you bleeding?" Tiedoll asks and before Al can protests the scruffy artists pries his fingers away, a green glow bathing his form and spreading over his fingers.

"What the…?" Kanda almost yelps, his guard lowering in surprise while Tiedoll stares, flexing his fingers and watching the light glow across his skin.

"…interesting. I believe we have a new accommodator."

* * *

It wasn't unusual for patients who were unable to move to receive automail surgery right inside the hospital. It wasn't unusual, but it wasn't exactly normal either. It required the automail mechanic to pack up at least half of their shop and carry it inside the hospital in a transportable way, especially if it was the patient's first time receiving surgery.

So when Hex arrived at the front of the hospital with what appeared to be a small mountain spilling out from his back, all the new nurses began to whisper back and forth while the older nurses began to look around for earplugs to block out the oncoming screams that were sure to follow. Hex was a short stocky man with red skin and a scruffy beard creeping along his jaw and down his neck. With his ginormous bag on his back he looked every bit intimidating as one would expect.

The woman at the front desk was able to gather herself together long enough to figure out that he was here to see Edward and point him along to the right room. Hex lumbered along, cursing every now and then when some screws or wrenches fell from his back and he would have to stop and find a way to stoop down and retrieve it without losing all the contents of his bag.

Hughes was waiting for him just outside Edward's door.

"Thank you for doing this." He greeted. Hex nodded as he shifted the weight on his shoulders.

"It's my job." He replied. Hughes only nodded in turn and opened the door, the two entering the room. Edward was already sitting up in his bed, trying for all the world like this was just a casual meeting, but his skin was deathly pale and a thin sheen of sweat was already forming on his forehead.

"You ready Edward?" Hex asked as he set his bag down, tiles seeming to crack from the sudden weight bestowed upon them. Ed seemed to tense as he stared at the bag in a fleeting look of terror, but he regained himself just as quickly.

"Yes. I'm ready."

Hex let a grin show on his red face as he pulled out a stool and began to pull out his tools from the bag, spreading everything out on a table that had been brought in in preparation for his arrival. "Your brave. That's good."

His hands disappeared into the bag and returned with an arm, all metal.

All Ed's, made custom after Hex's visit not two days ago.

Ed's eyes were glued to it as the stocky man placed it on his table, the metal making a small clink before suddenly an equally metal leg appeared next to it. That was all Ed saw. He didn't see the arm or leg ports that followed out of the bag. He didn't hear Hex try and make small talk and explain each thing as it began to fill his table, each little gadget, each little piece of metal that would give him functioning limbs.

His mind was elsewhere.

And then the bandage on his arm was being pulled back.

He startled like a cat and found Hex pulling at the bandage casually. Ed was suddenly nervous as he shifted away from the mechanic, Hex giving an apologetic look but reaching out for the bandage once more. "This is where I need to put the port." He explained as he grabbed what was left of the bandage and pulled.

The bandage fell away and his brow furrowed.

"…you never told me about this." He muttered to the golden haired boy in front of him who was in the middle of looking ashamed and afraid.

"What? Is there a problem?" Hughes asked in concern.

Hex sighed and pushed his stool away from Ed's bedside. "His joints have been stitched over. I can't get to the nerve ends. I'm guessing your leg is like that too?"

It was a second before Ed slowly nodded, his hand holding the stump of his missing arm, touching the still healing skin.

Hex shook his head sympathetically. "In order for me to attach the automail I need to get to the nerve ends. He has to be re-amputated. On both joints." He pauses to stand up and after a second he glances over at Edward.

"Do you still want to go through with this? Say the word and I will cancel all of this right here right now. I won't force this on anyone. If he wishes to quit at any moment I will refund all your money and find another patient to fit these limbs to." Hex explain turning the later words to Hughes.

"No." Edward cuts in quickly. "I'll do it. I want automail. I _need_ automail!" To emphasis his point he struggles to get his leg stump above the cover and struggles with the bandages for it.

The two adults watch for a second before Hex nods and sits down to help the golden haired boy with his bandages.

"Go get a Doctor. And maybe sit outside for a while. The surgery is going to start."

* * *

The moment Hughes brought Edward into the house Gracia fussed over him the best her pregnant state would let her, even going so far as to slap Maes' hand away so she could help the child properly.

Hughes just knew their own child would be spoiled rotten.

Not that Ed really remembered.

The surgery had left him almost delirious, his body thick with sweat and his mind shot from all the pain he was forced to endure. Hex told Hughes later that Ed was dead set against screaming and had actually bitten clear through his bottom lip in an attempt to muffle himself.

The mechanic said he had never seen anything like it.

"Grown men openly weep and howl during this kind of surgery. I see a 12-year-old kid who won't even peep. He's either the bravest kid I've ever seen or the stupidest. I've yet to decide."

But now came the truly challenging part.

Learning how to control his limbs. Rehabilitation was known to take 3 years but Hughes doubted Ed would be willing to wait that long. From what little he knew of the Elric he already knew of the boy's incredible stubborn streak.

Some would call it determination.

Hughes shook his head as he filled a glass full of water in the kitchen, the soft footfalls of his wife upstairs letting him know that she was still fussing over the new arrival. He hoped Edward would be hospitable to Gracia.

Considering all he was going through his moods could switch easily and being a pregnant women ready to pop at any moment, her moods could do just the same.

He didn't need either of them to fall out with each other.

The glass filled and Hughes shut the tap off absently. Straightening he went to find his wife and, if she was still being maternal towards Edward, even though he would be dead asleep right now, have her place the glass on his bed table. Heaven knows he couldn't do that right.

He blinked when he saw her standing perfectly still in the doorway to the guest bedroom where Ed was currently presiding, the lights off save for the sliver of light flowing in from the hallway.

"Gra—" He started and stopped immediately when he heard it.

Sobs, wet and shaking. After a second more he realized that every second one was a word, morphed and almost unintelligible.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. Alphonse. I'm sorry."

From the slur of the words Hughes could tell he was asleep, though not in the least bit peacefully. Hoping to save whatever dignity Ed could maintain Hughes closed the distance like a shadow and closed the door, the tiny click bringing his wife around.

She blinked but unshed tears clung to her lashes.

She clutched the pillow in her hands to her chest as if suddenly ashamed. "I had only wanted…to see…if he needed his leg propped." She explained her voice soft and incredibly sad. "I didn't mean…I never…"

"I know." Hughes replied as he slowly pulled the pillow away from her with his free hand, leaving her free to wander away if she liked. She stood there for a second more before she reached forward and grabbed the full glass of water, taking a full sip of it as she turned.

She stopped.

"Maes…"

"Hmm?"

"You're going to help him…right?" She asked quietly. He wants to respond that he already is. He's taken him to the hospital, he's given him automail, but he knows that she isn't asking about any of that. He's told her about his whole trip, about the Elric brothers and their separation. She knows to some degree what Ed is crying about in his dreams in the dead of night.

He tightens his hold on the pillow as he stares at the ground, afraid to look at her. "I'm really going to try."


	15. Soul Search

**Disclaimer: Don't own DGrayMan or FMA**

* * *

**Obvious Grief**

**By: animeroxsmyworld**

**Chapter 15: Soul Search**

* * *

His mother always warned them as children not to trust strangers but in a predicament like this Al felt he could disobey his mother this once.

Especially since they saved his life.

Even if unintentional.

And especially since he's lost.

Where on Earth is London?

"You know you're way from here right?" Kanda asks as he stops rather purposefully in the clearing among the vast forest of trees around them. Tiedoll blinks and looks over at the younger man.

"You're not coming in with us?" He asks as he tilts his head and scratches his beard.

"Coming with us where?" Al asks. All he can see is tree. And more tree.

Kanda grunts and turns. "That way takes you right past the idiots' office. I'd rather not see that moron today. He's probably released another idiot monster and I'd rather not be a part of that." He replies coldly.

He goes to take a step and then stops. He gives the briefest of nods towards Tiedoll before taking off in another direction, the Marshall humming over all this information.

"Dear me I hope Komui really hasn't unleashed another monster. That really would put the Order in disarray for a while."

"Uh…"

Tiedoll hums until he spots Al and he smiles, straightening and placing a hand comfortingly on Al's shoulder. "Oh no worries. It'll all be alright. Even if something has happened the people in the Order are very good at dealing with Komui and his antics. Everything will be fine. Now come on, let's go."

"Erm….ok." Al replies hesitantly as he follows after the older male who finds his bearings and continues through the trees with a rather purposeful stride. He looks so confident that Al feels he shouldn't question their whereabouts although his head is spinning with the amount of questions waiting to spill out of his mouth. The scruffy man continues through the foliage a little more before a cry of triumph erupts from him and suddenly Al hears a splash and the man disappears from his sight.

Alarmed Al rushes forward, pushing branches frantically from his view, and sees a lake. It's perfectly silent and undisturbed, completely hidden. It looked like it simply morphed out of the ground if not for the small dock and the three boats tied to it, Tiedoll already fumbling with one.

"Sir…" Al starts feeling his questions bubbling over. Tiedoll peers up, hands stopping only momentarily from dealing with the rope. "How much farther until we get to…well wherever it is we're going?" He asked, a hand subconsciously touching his chest as he spoke.

Tiedoll had sent Kanda off after the akuma attack to patch up his armor, the rather broody 15-year-old coming back with some tarp and some tape, the tarp Al guessing he had cut with that sword of his. The fact that he indeed had a rather gaping hole in him just made each step he took echo out much louder than necessary.

Tiedoll smiled. "Oh not far now. It's just there, see?" He replied before turning and pointing out across the lake.

Alphonse was startled when his gaze adjusted and he realized what the old man was pointing at. The lake went off into the mouth of a cave that seemed to spiral upwards in such a way, if Alphonse looked straight up so his helmet almost toppled off his shoulders, a building as dark as obsidian just began to peak up.

He couldn't believe he hadn't noticed the building before.

He must've looked speechless because Tiedoll chuckled.

"The trees here are so large that at a distance most people don't see it. And up close like this the mountain blocks the view. You have to know what you're looking for in order to find it." He explained in amusement before giving the rope in his hands one last tug. The rope went slack and the boat bobbed away from the dock.

With a single beckoning gesture Al was inside the boat and Tiedoll was pushing off and together they were crossing the lake, Tiedoll rowing rather sluggishly with his oar as if he didn't have a care in the world.

* * *

Lenalee didn't look like she was concentrating to the naked eye but any keen observer would notice the whiteness of her knuckles and the taught muscles of her back. Despite how many times she breezed into the science department with a tray brimming with coffee mugs, the actually carrying of the mugs never got any easier.

It would be fine if she only brought two, maybe even three, mugs but a whole tray full left her on edge. Each step was deliberate and her hands were perfectly balanced. Her eyes flashed over from the mugs to the entrance of the room ahead and brief relief passed through her.

Within seconds she turned into the cluttered room her lips turning up into a refreshing smile.

"I've brought everyone coffee!" She greeted as she set the tray down on a nearby table, exhausted faces turning to look at her and take in the sight. The eager, caffeine addicted individuals grabbed their cups swiftly but stepped away from the young girl just as fast as a tall man came barreling towards her.

"Oh Lenalee! My sweet darling sister! How kind of you to make coffee for your dear brother! You're such an angel!" Komui rambled as he hugged the thin girl, Lenalee barely able to make a muffled acknowledgment as he continued to rant about her good behaviour. Just a teenager and a rather small one at that, Komui easily enveloped her and Lenalee struggled to poke her head above his arm, gulping in air though not pushing her brother's affections away.

From across the room a clearly exhausted man looked up from the stack of papers in his hands. "Chief…do you really have to do that every day? You're making a scene."

Komui froze, mouth gaping before pointing an accusing finger at the blond scientist with an overly dramatic gasp. "How could you say such a thing Reever! If I didn't tell my sweet Lenalee how much I love and adore her every day she might forget and think her wonderful brother doesn't appreciate her! If this is any sort of scene it is merely a scene of love!" He exclaimed.

Reever merely sighed as he closed his eyes and turned away. "My mistake then."

Lenalee offers the good scientist a smile before dipping away from her brother's grasp causing him to fall from the sudden loss and go into another tirade when a loud beeps cuts through the room.

Silence falls instantly as the beep sounds again.

"That sounds like…" Reever starts as he perks up.

"Guests." Johnny, a young curly haired man finished as he stands and stares at the tall cube at the front of the room, a perfect replica of the Black Order centered perfectly in the middle while small screens run along all the sides.

As if his words are a command one of the walls of the cube instantly shoots up a new screen. The picture fuzzes like a broken TV monitor before it snaps into place and Tiedoll's face appears with supreme clarity for the whole room to see.

Komui sobers up immediately at the General's appearance. "…Tiedoll." He address slowly for lack of anything else to say, his brain half stunned at the General's appearance. Most of the General's tended to keep out of the Order's contact and came in and out of contact as they so desired.

Cross came straight to mind.

"Ah Komui! Just the man I was looking for!" The scruffy painter smiles. Komui blinks in surprise as do some of the other people in the room.

"Really?" The purple haired scientist asks, trying hard not to let his confusion show too much. If it has Tiedoll doesn't care to elaborate as he instead smiles at the camera before apparently looking around. There's some rustling off screen that catches his attention and the scruffy man nods before turning his gaze back.

"While it's all good and well to see that you're here I have other business. I have a companion with me and he's perfectly harmless. I'm telling you beforehand so Gatekeeper doesn't cause any sort of panic throughout the building." Tiedoll explains, his smile fading slightly before it brightens again. "I'll be in shortly!"

His picture cuts out and the screen disappears leaving only silence before Reever seems to regain himself.

"I suppose…someone should notify Gatekeeper." He suggests rather absently. The small crowd seems to spring to life after a second and work is quietly resumed while Komui ponders over his coffee, Lenalee offering herself to go and notify the gate of the arrivals.

Why would Tiedoll need to see him?

Could it be dangerous news?

Advancements in the akuma?

A new kind of innocence?

It left him oddly anxious as he paced, not once taking a sip from his coffee as he left the room and began to head towards the entrance of the building, where Tiedoll would be appearing at any second.

He hears the General before he sees him.

Or more accurately he hears the General's companion.

In the hollow halls of the order creaking metal echoes with a boom and seems to continue for miles. Komui's curiosity overrides his nerves and he quickens his pace until he can identify the source. A suit of armor continue to creak as the man wearing it walks along beside the General, the man wearing the suit apparently self-conscious about the amount of noise he's making but having no choice but to endure it as he keeps pace with the gentle painter.

If they're inside then obviously Lenalee reached the Gatekeeper fine.

Tiedoll sees the purple haired man and waves, Komui offering a small smile as he returns the gesture. Tiedoll was always a mystery to him. Hard to read at times. A wonderfully nice man but Komui could never predict how their conversations would go or how to approach him.

He always just had to wing things with him.

How this man was the Master to someone like Kanda Komui would never know.

"Hello General, so nice to see you." Komui offered up as he finally reached the two. His eyes slid over to the armor and he kept his face neutral though curiosity bubbled inside him. "And you must be the General's companion."

"…Alphonse Elric."

Silence.

Komui stared, his fingers on his mug twitching. A kid. The voice was merely the voice of a small boy! It was startling. He felt his mouth open without consent and hurried to add words so as not to look like a gaping fool.

"What did you wish to see me about General?" He asked quickly, turning his attention back to the painter though his mind was still on the boy before him. He must be one giant of a child to fill out that suit of armor. It was at least 7 feet tall!

For once Tiedoll didn't smile. His eyes looked about before returning.

"Perhaps we should go somewhere private." He stated offhandedly.

Komui raised a brow. "More private than the Order?" He asked. They were already inside the building, what could it be that it needed more secrecy than these walls? Unless it truly was something bad. When Tiedoll said nothing Komui felt a knot form in his stomach and he nodded.

"This way." He directed as he nodded his head down a corridor to his left. They wind and turn with complete silence until Komui leads them into an empty room, once an old office. The desk is still in it but that's all that remains to show what it once was. That and what light shines through the large window that overlooks onto the scenery below.

"Now wha—" Komui begins as he turns and stops as he sees Tiedoll opening the chest plate of the armor with a solid yank. The man inside must've not been prepared either because he makes an astonished noise, half between a yelp and a gasp.

But Komui misses it as green light spills out into the room.

There's no body.

There's no one inside.

Innocence only radiates from a single symbol drawn upon the metal and yet Komui can feel its warmth prickling against his skin now that it's no longer contained.

He continues to stare before he realizes that no one else is saying anything. Tiedoll had come to him to see what he would do. What _they _should do.

His eyes flick between Tiedoll and the empty armor before he can manage to find him voice.

"Let's take him to Hevlaska."

* * *

Al wished that Ed was with him. He was sure that in situations like this Ed would be taking charge and would be yelling his questions and demanding all sorts of answers before going anywhere with anybody.

But Al wasn't Ed.

He didn't even know where to begin with the questions, or even what questions he wanted to ask. Maybe he was too frightened of some of the answers he might receive. And there just never seemed to be a good time.

Whatever the light inside him was, it seemed to be very important because everyone who came across it always became very serious, and he wasn't stupid. He could practically feel the urgency around them as they stared at him, touching the metal frame that made up his body almost reverently, afraid that the smallest touch would shatter him.

He was different.

It was obvious. How could it not be with him being a giant suit of armor but he knew that wasn't it.

He was just scared to ask what _it _was.

Even after his rescue back in the city the only questions he could really get himself to ask were the names of the people helping him. Besides that the most basic questions were directions as he followed his saviours aimlessly, hoping they could help him until he could manage on his own to get back to Edward.

He was only just starting to come out of his thoughts when the conversation before him began to steer in his direction.

"—came running out of a man hole with an akuma chasing after him. You can always ask Yu if you want another statement, we crossed paths a day ago and had travelled into town together. He was there for…well most of the ordeal." Tiedoll explains as the three of them walk out onto a rather large platform suspended into what appears to be nothingness.

Al peers over the side and can't see the ground.

It just continues to get darker and darker.

The alchemist in him is tempted to throw something over the side to see how long it takes to reach the bottom, but the urge is small at the moment as he continues to concentrate on the conversation at hand.

"Why were you in the sewers?" Komui asks, his eyes looking back over at the tall boy. Al doesn't know how much of his whole ordeal with the grey skinned girl actually makes sense. It still makes little sense in his own head.

"I was hiding from those creatures." He offers instead, a half-truth to tide him over until he knows how much of his trust he can invest in these people.

"The akuma." Komui corrects, Al hesitating before nodding. Komui frowns before stopping in the middle of the large platform and turning to stare at the armor dead on. "Alphonse," He address firmly making the armor start. "Do you know what this place is?"

"…no." Al admits.

"Do you know what an akuma is?"

"…no."

"Do you know what an exorcist is?"

Confusion begins to grow in Al's voice. "No." He answers more steadily before he pauses and actually looks at Tiedoll's paint spattered uniform peeking up underneath his heavy coat. "Wait…I think I might have met one…or two before." He replies slowly instead as memories begin to creep to him.

The red haired man who had saved his brother's life had been dressed just like Tiedoll. The man who had saved their lives at the graveyard the day their mother died had been dressed in outlandish clothes, according to Edward, that looked similar to the uniform before him.

Komui frowns and makes to open his mouth to presumably ask more questions but Tiedoll cuts him off.

"All important matters that I'll be happy to explain in great detail but that's not why we're here at the moment." He states before gesturing towards the platform. Komui's mouth closes and he nods after a second.

"I suppose we can explain later. Besides the longer we stand here the greater chance we risk of people starting to notice we're here without permission." He sighs before stepping to the very front of the platform and tilting his head towards the ceiling. "Hevlaska!" He calls out, though his voice now turns into a warm greeting, as if calling to a slumbering friend.

The air hums and then it shifts.

Like a slow mist rising from the dark below, vapor rises and twirls until it grows stronger and more fluid, the vapor becoming solid as it begins to merge and fill the air in front of them. Al can only stare in both awe and fear as he watches it morph into what appears to be a woman though only the lower half of her face is all that is human. The rest of her body is made up of smoky white tendrils that float around her like paper caught in the wind.

Al is so caught up in staring at this human looking thing that it takes several seconds for him to realize that tendrils are slowly wrapping around his limbs.

"Innocence." She breathes her voice heavy yet grateful as if he was a long lost love returned to her. All at once Al is yanked and sailing through the air as the tendrils wrap around him, holding him close to her body.

"Wait! Wait! Stop!" Al cries desperately as he tries to struggle against her hold. His armor rattles and he can hear her hum as her tendrils invade every inch of his armor, confirming the non-existent body inside.

"It's alright Alphonse!" Tiedoll calls from where he's still standing on the platform. "Hevlaska is one of us. She isn't trying to harm you." He reassures.

Al still continues to struggle. He would have a better time believing the man if she didn't have her arms shoved in his body…and if she wasn't some giant creature. Those tended to try and destroy him.

"Please, you must be calm." She speaks and Al finds himself mystified by her voice. His limbs slowly grow still and she returns to humming to herself. And then her forehead rests against his chest plate, a small glow radiating off of her as she mutters to herself.

She pulls her head back sharply as if slapped, her mouth a perfect oh.

"Hevlaska?" Komui calls up in concern.

"What?" Al asks despite himself. "What is it?"

"Syncronization." She starts slowly. "10%"

* * *

"Here you go sweetie!" The girl, Lizzie, chirped as she handed an armful of dirty trays into his arms. He should've known that after Cross walked into that bar that he would drink until dawn. He spent all of Allen's money on booze and who knows what else, but when Allen awoke the next morning with a sore neck, every penny was gone and his master had acquired a bill as long as Allen himself.

"Thank Lizzie." Allen replied robotically as he ushered the dishes into the back. It wasn't that he didn't like the girls. Hell Madame Christmas was probably the meanest woman there and she was a hell of a lot nicer than most all of the people Cross had made him work for before. It was just…dizzying.

Madame threw chores at him left right and center and he simply wanted to get his chores done because then he could go rest his weary muscles at the hotel. But some of the girls would come back and chat with him, thus slacking on their own chores. Apparently having a child now actually working at the place was an extreme novelty and he had to be watched and coddled every second. But Madame would find him and the slacker and he would be accused of causing distraction and thus extra work was put on him after she would shoo away the girls.

He let out a groan as he let the dishes slip into the water as said Madame chased Lizzie out of the kitchen.

He just wanted to pay Master's debt off and not be sore to high heaven.

Just then the front door opened and closed and a voice called out from the entrance of the bar.

"Well hello ladies!"

"Roy!" Several of the girls cried gleefully and Allen didn't know what to think as his curiosity got the better of him and he poked his head close to the window that meshed the kitchen and the bar together. The girls were crowding the stranger so Allen couldn't see much. Black hair…he's tall…but that's all he could see.

"Leave him alone girls!" Madame Christmas calls out from where she stands behind the bar, her rag cracking through the air like a solid whip. Some of the girls laugh, others complain, but they all obediently comply with the stout woman and Allen can finally see the man whose laughing at the situation as he makes his way towards the bar.

He looks like a type of Asian…no that's not right. Xing? He's dressed smartly in a nicely pressed grey pant suit pocking out from his long black jacket. A silver pocket watch in his pocket catches Allen's eye as he moves his gaze away in time to avoid the strangers own gaze.

But that didn't mean his ears weren't perked. Most of the customers that came into the store never got that kind of reaction from the girls. Maybe this man was special.

"So what can I help you with Roy boy?" Madame Christmas started off as the Xingese man took a seat at one of the bar stools, his eyes wandering over to some of the woman. As she talked his eyes snapped up to her and he smiled rather charmingly.

Oh.

Maybe that was why the woman fawned over him.

"Do I need a reason to come by and see you?" He asked sweetly. Those words sounded so genuine that Allen was beginning to question their relationship when Madame Christmas swore and hit him with her towel, the man bursting out laughing and ordering a drink. Their conversation was pleasant and general.

Normal.

Allen was losing his interest in it rapidly and lost it completely when one of the newer girls tripped and shattered a small stack of plates and a handful of cups, Allen emerging from the back with a broom and dustpan at the ready.

Black eyes watched him scamper across the floor.

"Hiring children now Auntie?" Roy asks as he watches the preteen help the girl clean up the mess.

"He's paying off a debt." Madame Christmas replied as she followed his gaze briefly before turning her back to the scene.

"You're serving children now? What's happened to this establishment?" Roy asks incredulously causing the woman to snort in laughter and merely shake her head at the notion.

"The debt's not his you moron." She replies simply. Before he can say more on the matter she changes the topic as easily as she pours him a drink. "Shouldn't you be busy preparing your questions for the state alchemy exam? Or do you already know what you're going to ask the poor individual?" She replies as she eyes the obvious lack of uniform.

Roy's eyes slide to the side as he frowns, taking his first real sip of the drink before him.

"The Fuhrer does most of the asking." He starts. "People in my position only get to ask a few questions in respect to our rank. It's all politics. In the end my opinion doesn't really matter, it's the Fuhrer's call."

Silence is all that passes between them as Roy stews over his own words.

"Are names already coming in?" Madame Christmas asks, her words earning a small twitch of the lips from her adopted nephew.

"Thousands."


	16. Rehab

**Disclaimer: I don't own DGrayMan or FMA**

**AN: Sorry for the lack of Edward last chapter but after I had finished writing all of Al's parts I had most of a whole chapter right there.**

* * *

**Obvious Grief**

**By: animeroxsmyworld**

**Chapter 16: Rehab**

* * *

Edward came in and out of a fog for what seemed like eternity. Snippets of blurred memory came to him of food and medicine but the rest was sleep, dark dreamless sleep. He didn't know how long he was out for, days, weeks, maybe even months, but it all passed by as simple darkness.

And then suddenly he was awake.

His eyes were open and the room rushed to him with perfect clarity.

A plaster ceiling lay above him in a small beige room, white curtains pulled tight across the tall window at the end. It took only a second for Edward to register the unfamiliarity of the room as he moved to sit up and was immediately rendered speechless as pain exploded throughout his body, a silent scream tearing through him as his body exploded in painful spasms.

He fell with a solid thud against the bed below him as his back stopped twitching, his heart pounding loudly in his ears as he began gasping to regain his breath. He caught the sheen of metal and found himself fixed on the motionless limb as he continued to gasp against the pillow.

An arm…and a leg!

Despite the pain he could feel the itch to smile. He let it take hold as he pushed intentionally against the pain this time, his eyes focused on the hand before him. He broke out into a sweat and within a second he found a shout escaping his lips as his muscles twitched but he was rewarded with a solid, although incredible awkward jerk of his automail hand.

His face split into a grin as he instantly relaxed and let himself melt into the bed once more.

Hurried footsteps barely registered in his head seconds before the door to his room opened.

"Alphonse! I did-" Ed started excitedly before his voice fell swiftly as he saw the pregnant woman filling the doorframe, her image kick starting his brain as his smile dropped. In his excitement he had forgotten.

Gracia barely registered Edward's slip at all as her eyes took in his state. "Edward! You're awake!" She greeted with a smile, although she looked a little frazzled. It had been almost three weeks since Ed had become a guest at the Hughes household but he had never been truly awake in all that time. He had always been sleeping off some kind of medication or other. The only real time he could be considered awake was when she would have to pry him awake herself and feed him, shove more medicine down his throat or ask him if he needed to go to the washroom.

This was the first time she saw those gold eyes staring back at her with lucid thought behind them.

"How are you feeling? Do you need anything?"

Edward regarded her for a moment. He didn't remember meeting her. In fact he remembered very little after the automail surgery. Was this ' wife? He couldn't remember if her name had ever come up in their conversation. It must've but then why was Edward having such a hard time grasping it now?

"Where's ?" He asked instead. Gracia's smile faltered, but for only a second.

"He's at work. But he should be home in a couple of hours. He said to call if anything happened and well…you're awake now. Do you want me to call him?"

Edward only shook his head before grimacing as the motion caused a trickle of pain to shoot across his shoulders. Gracia frowned and then she was moving.

"Did that hurt just then?" She asked. If her tone hadn't sounded so genuine Ed would've snapped out something completely unpleasant. But since she seemed to actually care he swallowed down the foul words that had immediately risen inside his throat.

"Yeah." He choked out. "I can barely move at all."

Her frown deepened and she muttered lowly to herself as she neared the bed. Ed watched her simply out of curiosity but it turned to suspicion as she went to the end of his bed.

"What are you doin—" He started but was cut off as she pulled his covers away from the end to reveal his feet.

Feet.

He still couldn't get the image of two out of his head, but his admiration was short lived as she made to grab his flesh and blood foot. Out of desperation Edward kicked his foot away, the action making Gracia's brow raise as she looked at the foot and then at him, a knowing look in her eye.

Ed didn't catch it.

"What are you doing?" He yelped, afraid of the pain that would overtake him as he flailed his foot away from her grasp. It kicked up and she caught it and Edward would've gone into a full blown panic if her face wasn't completely serious as she stared at the appendage in her hand.

She looked once at him and then back at the foot, her eyes still bright with that knowing look as she drummed her fingers against his ankle.

Again Ed missed it as he tensed, waiting for the pain to seize him.

She inwardly sighed. Apparently she would have to make her message quite clear. Without any notice she raised one hand and gave the foot a firm tap along the sole of the foot making Ed jump.

She watched, a small smile taking over her face, as the realization slowly dawned on Ed's face, Gracia placing his foot back down on the bed.

"I've been doing my research ever since my husband told me we would be helping an automail patient. Those two weeks you were practically in a drug coma—"

"Two weeks!"

"-is normal because of all the medication. But once you regain yourself as you did today and begin your therapy the only part of your body that should truly be under any sort of pain, after the immediate surgery, is the part of your body connected to your ports and surrounding areas. So your right foot shouldn't be in any pain." She continued as she made a show of tapping his flesh foot again before covering it back with the blankets.

"But try and move your other foot and it should hurt all the muscles in that leg that you're trying to move because the nerves in that leg are still raw and sensitive to the connection with the port, and will only begin to get better with time and therapy." She explained as she pointed to his metal foot. "The same should go for your arms."

He looked at her before shooting a quick glance at his fingers. He cautiously wiggled his left fingers with great hesitation.

They moved and Edward was now fully aware by the fact that pain didn't follow the easy action as he began rotating his wrist and flexing his arm. Slowly he allowed himself to wiggle his toes and when he was confident that indeed he could move his flesh limbs safely, he focused on simply lifting his metal arm.

Immediately pain began to spark up his shoulder and cross its way across his chest and up his neck, Ed immediately stopping his action at the obvious rebuttal to his effort. Gracia saw the discomfort cross his face and tutted as she moved back around the bed.

"Don't rush yourself. You've only just woken up. They say the average amount of time it takes to fully rehabilitate is three years. You just focus on what you _can_ do right now while I go and make you a proper meal." She advised before slipping out the door.

Ed gave the barest nod to show he heard as he continued to wiggle his real toes, imagining the day when his metal ones would copy him.

"Just hang on Al." He whispered to the air. "I'm coming."

* * *

It had been three days and Ed was itching with energy and frustration. Hughes had been roped into some weird shifts at the office and had thus only made quick appearances at the house to sleep and take quick meals.

It was beyond irritating.

Ed couldn't rehabilitate himself.

He closed the book resting on his lap with a loud thud and knocked it to the ground with a huff. It was all a distraction really. Gracia had brought him all the books that were lying around the house to help him pass the time and he had read all the interesting ones within the first days.

Most of those had been Hughes'. Books about the military and travel. Now he was left with Gracia's books and they were all so…boring. Romance novels that made him roll his eyes and quickly shuck the book to the ground with his good hand.

And so he was left to wait and stew in frustrated irritation.

Why couldn't Hughes just damn well show up already?

At that moment Gracia poked into his room as effortlessly as a pregnant lady can, a pillow and new sheets in his hands. She was humming and didn't even say a word as she began stripping Ed's bed of its current blankets.

Ed frowned.

"You changed these just the other day." He pointed out, his voice sharper than he had intended, Gracia's hands stilling. While trying to eat supper Ed had spilt half his meal across the blankets and had cursed the house into an uproar in his embarrassment, Gracia simply changing the sheets and promising not to tell Hughes of the event that had taken place.

She blinked. "Oh. Well it's always better to have nice clean sheets." She replied with a smile. Ed groaned as he closed his eyes and rested against the pillows behind him.

He wasn't in the mood for this.

"No thanks Mrs. Hughes. It's fine." He said in what he hopped was reassurance though it actually sounded like exhaustion. The sheet disappeared and he scowled, eyes popping open.

She made to take the second sheet and his real hand grabbed it before it could disappear and leave him in his pyjamas to the chill of the room. "I said its fine. Just leave it." He repeated, a little more force in his voice.

Gracia instantly dropped the sheet and Ed watched in horror as tears began to flash in her eyes. Before he knew it she was crying utter nonsense before him.

"I'm sorry!" She wailed as her hands suddenly shot to her face, shoulders shaking. "I don't know what I'm doing! I'm going crazy in this house! I feel like I'm going outta my mind! I just keep cooking and cleaning because I'm good at it, I always do it but what do I do when the baby gets here? Everythings gonna be a mess and what if the baby doesn't like my food! Everything's just happening so fast! And I just want to make sure you're ok because…and I….and…"

She fell into unintelligible sobs as she continued to swipe at her face and Ed only stared with his mouth agape like a deer in the headlights as she slowly slid to sitting on the ground.

After a minute he was able to find his words.

"You know what it's alright! You come in and do whatever you like! I don't care! You know what, no, I actually appreciate it! You know what I think you should do right now though?" He began and was thankful when her teary eyes peered up at him from over her hands. "Go call your husband." He directed, pointing towards the door.

She nodded furiously giving a small wail before disappearing out the door. The minute she left Ed let out a huge breath, gulping in air. That had to be what a heart attack felt like. His mind had gone on complete meltdown as he had watched her cry.

He didn't care if she came in now wanting to paint the room and kill him with the fumes, he did _not _want to experience that again.

As if sensing his wife's crisis Hughes returned home, declaring that he had finally finished up all the work that had been keeping him at odds and ends the past few days. Knowing that Hughes was home put all of Ed's senses on alert as he waited with perfect clarity for any sign of the older man to finally appear in his room.

It was almost a half an hour before Hughes pushed the door open, his face cracking away into a smile as he saw the fully attentive blond staring back at him.

"Good to see you awake." He greeted as he stepped into the room, closing the door behind him with a simple kick of his foot. "You were still sleeping the medication off the last time I saw you."

"I've been awake for three days." Ed pointed out, a small bit of accusation in his voice that didn't go unnoticed by the brunette. Hughes let out a small wince before running a hand through his hair.

"I know, I know. But I brought something that I hope will make up for it." He said as he held up his hand, showing for the first time that he had a paper bag with him. Ed had completely missed it in his inner excitement to finally get his rehabilitation on way. Hughes set the bag on the bedside table, ignoring the curious look Ed gave it, and clapped his hands together.

"So, first day! What do you want to do?"

Ed's golden eyes gleamed with determination as his back straightened and the word was out of his mouth almost as soon as Hughes had stopped talking.

"Walk."

* * *

The sound of rock being scraped away is the only sound that penetrates the stagnant air as the enormous hands continue to dig deeper into the ground. His breathing is haggard as he pushes and rocks tumble away like a cascade of pebbles, the walls around him trembling and giving him momentary pause.

It stops and he continues.

His hand breaks through rocks and hits steel and he blinks his tiny eyes in confusion, his poor vision offering no assistance as he runs his hands along the smooth piping that blocks his path.

"Roadblock…" He mumbles to no one and his brow furrows as he grasps the large pipe in between his massive hands.

"So troublesome…"

Without a second thought he bends his hands and the pipe breaks in two, water instantly gushing and dousing the giant man. He grumbles darkly and bends it away from his person, letting it instead spray the walls of the tunnel as he lumbers on, now dripping wet.

"So tiresome..." He mumbles.

* * *

Hughes brought back Edward books from the military library religiously once he noticed the stack of books piling up beside his bed. Some were just military drivel but at the preteen's insistence, the older male began bringing alchemic tomes and as promised, anything that he thought might resemble any assistance in finding his brother.

Which was very little.

But it was no surprise when the officer opened up the bedroom door and saw sheets of paper plastered over every inch of the wall (within Ed's reach), some holding alchemic symbols and various arrays while others held quickly scribbled out equations that seemed to go on for several sheets of paper. Now Hughes knew a few alchemists and even though he barely knew the stuff himself, he knew enough about it to know that the work scattered before him was complex stuff.

Nothing a child Edward's age should be able to do.

Hughes cleared his throat as he entered but Ed didn't even blink. His eyes continued to scan the words in front of him. Hughes closed the door and stepped inside the room and still he received nothing.

"Edward."

Nothing.

"Edward!"

Ed's head snapped up instantly, eyes looking alarmed. He calmed upon seeing the older male and Hughes couldn't help gesturing at the now decorative wall before him.

"I see you've decorated."

Ed turned his head to the papers next to his bed and to Hughes amazement he frowned. "I was decoding some of the books you brought back. Once you figure out the pattern you can find pretty much anything. Some of the codes are really simple, like cook books or chemistry notes. Decoding the equations weren't hard but until I get better control of my automail hand, drawing them out is more of a pain then it used to be."

"That's to be expected." Hughes replied as he came and sat on the edge of the bed. Out of simple curiosity he plucked the closest transmutation circle off the wall and inspected it. "So you're saying you really understand all this?"

Ed snorted and Hughes smirked.

"Right, what was I thinking?" He continued as he put the circle back. "So are you ready to continue?"

Ed nodded and set the book aside.

"Alright I'll be right back." Hughes said before he dipped out of the room. He was back a second later with an assortment of cups and mugs practically spilling over his arms. Ed felt alarm flare inside of him when he saw a cup made of Gracia's good china catch his eye.

"Now you better be focused here Edward." Hughes set as he laid them all across his lap. "Because this," He started as he tapped a dingy tin looking one. "and this," he tapped the good china. "are completely different."

Ed bit back the smart retort that jumped to his mind and only nodded as he reached towards the tin cup.

* * *

Allen felt himself twitch at the round of giggles that erupted through the air. He knew who was at the center of it all. He clutched the rag in his hands like a lifeline as more giggles penetrated the air and he glared darkly from the sink to the table in the corner where his master sat having a more than friendly conversation with one of the serving girls.

The exorcist shot him a quick glance before going about his business and continuing to chat with the girl who continued to serve him drinks that Allen knew were being added to the tab that he was still working off.

Allen felt his anger practically burst at his master's nonchalance at his position. He muttered darkly as he attacked the dishes before him with a renewed vigor. He was so caught up in his refreshed hatred of Cross that he missed the two new people that entered the bar.

"You should really consider him, I'm telling you Roy he's quite easily a kid genius."

Roy shook his head as he sat down at one of the bar stool and wordlessly ordered a drink, his companion copying him. Their tones were quiet as they continued their conversation.

"I don't know Hughes. Talent or not, if he can't move what good would he be out in the field."

"He's 12, I doubt he'd be doing much field work. Besides he _is _moving. Slowly but he's getting better each day."

There's a small silence as Roy regards his best friend before he shakes his head again. "Age doesn't matter. Once he clips that silver pocket watch to his belt he'll be a dog of the military. You know how it works out there Hughes. Besides there's still the test. Only one out of hundreds."

"I'm just asking you to sponsor him. I promised to help however I could but I'm not up on the board like you are."

At this Roy snorts and takes a sip from his drink. The famous questions board that seems so important to the test from the outside. Yet everyone knows they really have no say in the matter at all. The Fuhrer runs it all.

Silence hits them for a few minutes as they sip their drinks, Hughes looking pensive while Roy looks thoughtful. The Xingese man finally speaks up.

"What is he looking for again?"

"The past few days he's come across something in a book. The Philosopher's stone he calls it? He's been going off about that the past three days but he's mainly looking for his brother. An Alphonse Elric. That and any information about something called a Noah or something or other. Swears that's what the thing that took his brother was called."

Roy looks skeptical.

"You sure you don't still have this boy on his pain medication?"

Hughes rolls his eyes but Roy downs his glass.

"Look I'll see what I can do but I can't make any promises." Roy says as he stands and pulls some bills from his coat pocket. At Hughes' questioning gaze he smiles. "Riza is timing my break. Caught me napping in the records room two days ago and has been on my tail ever since."

"When are you gonna marry that girl?" Hughes grins and Roy mock scowls as he shoves the other man and hurries out the door.

Hughes only shakes his head as he sips his drink once more. It had been all the transmutation circles on his wall that had inspired him to talk to Roy. Not to mention that state alchemists had access to whole other libraries he wasn't even allowed to touch.

Who knew what Ed could find in there?

Clues to his brother?

Clues to these elusive Noah?

The stool next to him scraped across the ground and reflectively Hughes looked over. A man with a tumble of red hair filled his view and his visible eye regarded him seriously making Hughes frown. Before he could say anything the man waved his hand dismissively and leaned against the counter.

"Don't worry. I just think we need to talk."


	17. Locked Away

**Disclaimer: I don't own DGrayMan or FMA**

* * *

**Obvious Grief**

**By: animeroxsmyworld**

**Chapter 17: Locked Away**

* * *

"10 minutes."

"An hour." The red head countered. The military man frowned and shook his head vehemently as he raised up two fingers.

"20 minutes."

"40 minutes." Cross bit out.

"25 minutes."

Cross narrowed his eyes at Hughes who sat before him who looked absolutely unmoving before he sighed. "Fine." He agreed before he chugged what was left of his scotch and stood. "25 minutes."

Hughes nods before Cross stands and heads towards the exit.

* * *

Ed was improving in such leaps and bounds that under Gracia's watchful eye he was able to shuffle around the house, albeit rather stiffly and slowly. With Gracia getting to the point where she was required to sit and prop her feet up for most of the day, Ed was actually entrusted with a few simple chores.

Cleaning, hanging the laundry, helping prepare food.

It was an unorthodox rehabilitation he had to admit but he could feel it working.

The repetitive motion of him stirring the pot of stew in front of him rotated his shoulder port, working the muscles in his arm and easing away any stiffness. It wasn't long before it no longer required any thought and he grabbed handfuls of the cut vegetables Gracia had laid out ahead of time and began dropping them into the broth.

He had never been much help in the kitchen. Hell he couldn't remember the last time he had bothered to even help make his own meal.

But to the day he had helped with two stews, three salads, one lasagna and two things of spaghetti.

He had never felt like such a home body before.

It was oddly soothing and he had a surprising knack for it that Gracia couldn't help commenting on. She had beamed and later laughed at Ed's embarrassed and sputtered reaction. He pushed the thought aside as he placed the lid back on the pot and switched the heat off, letting the stew cool off and hopefully be ready to eat by the supper.

He turns to leave, eager to get back to his alchemy books when a sudden thud from the other room freezes him.

"… ?" He calls out as he takes a stiff step towards the other room.

"I'm al-Ggggahhhhh!"

Panic overrides momentary pain as Ed scrabbles towards the master bedroom. He finds Gracia leaning heavily against the wall, her hands clutching at her stomach and her legs looking like they're going to buckle under her at any given moment.

"What is it?" Ed asks in honest concern as he makes to step forward. Gracia lets out a sharp cry at the same moment as she clutches her stomach tightly and Ed's genius brain connects the dots quickly.

"NOW?!" He all but yelps as Gracia pants and waddles herself towards the giant bed that fills most of the room.

"YES NOW!" She bellows in all the rage and pain that only a pregnant woman can wield.

Ed feels helpless as he watches her try and control her breathing. He feels his head swimming and without thinking about it he is pacing back and forth beside her.

"What do I do? What do you need? Shouldn't you go to the hospital? How long do you have? Where's ?"

A hand fisting itself in the collar of his shirt stops his frantic ranting and makes him squeal to a stop.

"Go. Call. My. Husband." Gracia instructs with icy calmness that has Ed running to the door. All he can see is the phone hanging on the wall as he rounds the corner and scrabbles back into the kitchen, almost yanking the receiver off the hook in his haste.

When he had first regained consciousness Gracia had drilled the numbers of any and all emergency phone numbers he might need in case he were ever left alone and anything serious should arise.

Maes' work number was among one of those numbers.

And Ed knew this counted.

He almost grew frantic when the operator on the other line asked for a code, since he was calling from an outside line after all, but he came to him from the edge of his mind and he all but slurred it out in his excitement at remembering it.

"One second." The woman on the line replied simply before the line went quiet. In the other room Ed could hear Gracia cry out again and he felt whatever semblance of patience he had slip as his fingers drummed against the phone.

"Maes Hug-"

"YOUR WIFE'S IN LABOUR!" Ed shouted immediately the moment Hughes' voice clicked onto the line.

…

…

Ed was sure Hughes had hung up when the sound of something crashing echoed loudly in his ear. "I-I'll be right there! I'll send an ambulance right away!" The military man seemed to jump start before the line went dead.

True to his word an ambulance arrived not a few minutes later.

* * *

Al looked up from the book in his hands as the door to the room opened. Komui stood in the doorway, alone like he had been all the other times. After their rather active entrance at the Order, Tiedoll had taken leave but not before sharing a few words with Komui.

Words that Al had seen them exchange but wasn't privileged enough to hear.

Komui let a small smile fill his face as he stepped into the room and closed the door behind him.

"That's still surprising." He said before gesturing towards Al's chest plate. Komui and Tiedoll had fretted for the first hour or two after the meeting with Hevlaska about Al's broken armour.

A situation that Al had promptly fixed when he asked Komui for a piece of chalk, or even a rock.

It's safe to say that neither exorcist had ever witnessed alchemy before by the reaction he had received afterwards.

"It's basic alchemy." Al replied softly as he let the book fall close in his hand and stacked it on the many piles littering the room. It looked like a spare room that someone had decided to try and convert into a library but had given up halfway, one of the shelves only half built and the remaining shelves and books practically choking the life out of the single bed that existed in the space.

Al didn't feel the need to tell Komui that the bed wasn't necessary.

Or the food.

"I've never seen alchemy before, it startled me. It seems like rather dangerous stuff."

Al couldn't help straightening at that. "No it's not. It's science. Equivalent exchange. To obtain something, something of equal or greater value must be lost." He started before giving a firm nod. "Science."

"I was just suggesting that something like that could easily be mishandled." Komui replied, holding up a hand to show he meant no harm.

"Like your innocence stuff." Al stated after a second and Komui's smile returned.

"So you've been reading them!" He enthused as he grabbed one of the nearby books from the large nearby stack. It was a variety of books on rudimentary stuff that any exorcist would know, akumas, innocence, the order, but to someone like Al it was like diving into a fresh pile of research.

"It's easier to connect with when the monsters in the books are chasing you." He admitted glumly and despite the armour Komui could practically see the child in the steel pouting. And then Al seemed to brighten as his helmet creaked as he looked back up at Komui. "But you guys will figure out why they're chasing me, make them stop and then I'll be able to go back to my brother."

Komui said nothing as he turned his gaze back to the book in front of him but something must've given him away. A twitch, the tightening of his eyes…something.

"…you're not gonna take me back to my brother…are you?" Al asked quietly after a second.

Komui felt it was time to leave.

And he did.

* * *

The door opened and Al braced himself to see Komui but started when a girl stood in the doorway instead. Purple eyes regarded him warily as she closed the door before walking over and seating herself on the still untouched bed.

They remained in silence until Al felt the urge to ask. "Where's Komui?"

"He's not coming, he sent me instead." She replied. "I'm his little sister, Lenalee."

"Alphonse." He introduced before he looked at the door again. Could he make a break for it? Lenalee looked small enough that in this body he could probably overpower her.

"Why did Komui send you?" He asked instead though he kept the door in his peripheral vision.

At this she paused and pursed her lips as if trying to pick her words carefully. "He wants to apologize."

That took Al by surprise and his gaze turned back to her. She took his silence as a sign to continue.

"For the situation with your brother. In situations like this I'm a little better with words than he is. Komui only just recently told the other members of the Order about your presence here in the building and we've discussed it at large and many people agree with my brother on his decision."

Anger filled him instantly and he was quick to get to his feet. "What decision?!" He asked heatedly. He could tell already that he wasn't going to like it.

"To stay in the Order under supervision-"

"As a prisoner!" Al yelped.

"No! To help you! If we can't help you control your innocence Alphonse, you may never live to see your brother again." Lenalee pleaded, standing up herself now.

"Because you're keeping me here!" Al snapped back but Lenalee only watched him with pleading eyes and Al found his temper cooling, his body relaxing as he slumped against the wall.

"…am I really dangerous?" He asked after a moment and Lenalee nodded sadly.

"I'm sorry but you really are. Komui says that's why you've been in here so long. He wasn't sure how stable you were. Your body is practically a vessel of innocence and yet it's only 10% compatible. That spells trouble. If your synchronization were to ever hit 0…" Her eyes turned glossy and her voice faded away.

She didn't need to say anything, Al could figure out the ending.

"But there are ways to help. To concentrate the innocence and to raise your synchronization. It just…it takes time. Your unstable now, but if you get stable enough, then we can help you find your brother."

Al's head shot up at that news. "Really?"

"Really."

* * *

Edward felt heavy and groggy as he came out of sleep. The events of the day before had been absolutely hectic with Gracia's labour. A baby girl had been born and the new parents had arrived home with the newborn sometime in the early evening. While Gracia adjusted with the baby, Hughes convinced Ed to run around with him most of the night when he realized how un-baby-proof the house was. The two had spent most of the night readjusting furniture and rounding corners.

Ed became faintly aware of the small male voice chattering in the room and he squint his eyes and threw his arm over his eyes.

"Shush Al, I'm trying to sleep." He reprimanded automatically.

"Oh, sorry." Registered in his head and he would've fallen back into slumber had his memories not caught up with him. In a heartbeat Ed was sitting up, blankets thrown off and staring at the other person in the room.

Allen blinked from where he was halfway towards the door, hand outstretched towards the handle.

"What?" The white-haired boy asked, blinking some more at Ed's wide-eyed face.

Ed suddenly seemed to find himself as he blustered, his face colouring slightly in embarrassment. "What the hell are you doing here? Who are you?" He asked, the words coming out more sharper than he intended.

Allen turned around to address the blond, eyebrows high as he looked the boy over. "You don't remember me?" He asked and Ed almost felt a stab of guilt at the boy's tone. But Allen sighed and looked away towards the window, a small smile bending his lips. "Well that's alright. I guess there was a lot going on then. I shouldn't expect you to remember."

"But we do know each other?" Ed hedged after a beat. Allen's smile grew as his blue eyes turned back to Ed and he nodded.

"Yup. I'm Allen. Allen Walker. And you're E-"

"Edward Elric." Ed finished as he studiously studied the boy over. Something was tickling at the edge of his mind. Maybe he really had met this kid. This nagging feeling was rising inside of him, and it was growing the more the kid talked.

"So…what're you doing in my room? Mr. Hughes just let you waltz into the house?" Ed asked, ignoring the fact that he was still half undressed and making conversation with, whom he assumed, was a perfect stranger.

"No not quite. Master Cross apparently made some agreement with Mr. Hughes and I was brought along. I was told to come to check up on you since you 'may have overexerted yourself last night' according to Mr. Hughes." Allen explained sheepishly, playing with the material of his vest as he talked.

Ed shot him a brief glare. "I'm fine." He huffed. But as he made to get off his bed he found his legs buckling. His hand shot out to catch his bedside table but he found Allen already at his other side, a look of concern on his face. Ed glared and Allen let go, but kept at the ready as Ed righted himself again. When Ed stumbled slightly once more he resigned to walking with a hand on Allen's shoulder for mild support.

Slowly but surely Ed made his way out of the room and into the living room where he greeted the sight of Allen's master. Cross looked up from where he was conversing with Hughes and a small frown marred his face.

Ed felt icy fingers claw at him as his memories snapped into place with perfect clarity. His fingers dug into Allen's shoulder but if the exorcist apprentice noticed he said nothing.

"You look better than I left you." Cross admitted as he readjusted himself on the couch so he could fully face the small boy.

"I had help." Ed replied stonily. Cross hummed here and jerked his head in Hughes' direction.

"So I've been told. Speaking of leaving, where's your brother?"

"Master!" Allen cried at the bluntness, Ed visibly flinching, eyes widening at the question. Allen shot his master a dirty glare but it paled in comparison to the one Ed gave a second later.

"I don't know." He ground out.

At this Cross nodded solemnly before he gestured to the unoccupied loveseat. "Sit. You want to hear this. Apprentice, you too. Now, what do you know about Noah?"

* * *

Lust didn't see why she had to do this. Father really should've just had one of his humans down the line of command take care of this. It would be something fitting to their status. But instead she was assigned this stupid task.

"It's not like he's even made the papers yet." She mused to herself as she eyed her victim from her seat at the café, a coffee nursed between her hands. The drink was bitter but pleasantly warm. It was a simple pleasure she allowed herself topside. She was beginning to get bored when an hour went by and there was no movement, the idea of massacring the café workers flitting through her mind when he suddenly moved, leaving his seat.

Her brow rose but ever graciously she excused herself from the café as well and began her hunt.

She played with the idea of dragging the chase out, for entertainments sake, but father had given his orders. This man was killing alchemists, killing potential sacrifices, and although the news hadn't caught onto his sprees yet, father had noticed and calculated how this would end.

He wanted it taken care of.

Lust could see the Ishbalan man flitting through the alleyways as he wove to downtown and Lust decided that now would be the best time to strike.

She raised her hand, as if to simply wave, and let her fingers extend to their sharpened points. With a grin she bent, ready to lunge, and felt the air around her crackle. Her body froze, goosebumps breaking out across her skin as her eyes widened.

"Well well, looks like we've got a dangerous woman here." A male voice said humorously before a man stepped into his view, Lust practically hissing out of anger and fear when she saw his arm elbow deep inside her chest.

His golden eyes sparkled as he grinned, a brow raising as his fist tightened against the philosopher stone at the core of her body.

"Not exactly human are you?" He asked before his grin grew. "But then neither am I."


	18. Stories

**Disclaimer: I don't own DGrayMan or FMA**

**Authoress Note: So after some thinking about it I actually think Lust and Tyki would be hilarious. I apologize for the huge case of writers block that I have. I really wish it wasn't there…but it is and I'm struggling to pass it. **

**Someone pointed out that Allen actually has grey/silver eyes. In the anime he has blue eyes (so that's where I got that). I'm going to be sticking with blue just because I've already written it that way.**

* * *

**Obvious Grief**

**By: animeroxsmyworld**

**Chapter 18: Stories**

* * *

Lust was stunned. Her body felt paralyzed as she stared into the golden eyes gleaming back at her when her survival instincts suddenly reared into action. With a snarl she brought her raised hand down viciously and felt her fingers pass through wisps of smoke.

She hid her surprised confusion behind angry frustration as she slashed her hand back once more, careful to keep the edges sharp. The man remained in front of her, as intact and unharmed as before, and yet her blows were slipping through him like water.

"Oh come on stop that." He finally spoke, a mock whine in his voice before he tugged his fist to the side and tightened his grip on the stone. Lust inhaled sharply, a gasp of pain shooting through her as her legs threatened to buckle. "You're hurting me." He continued.

"You know…" Lust started, her words sounding more breathless than she would've liked. "It isn't polite to stick your hand in a woman's chest." She replied, a tight smile making its way across her lips. "You should at least buy me dinner first."

Her eyes shone with murder.

She didn't quite know how yet, but she would have it.

She would spill his blood.

And she would enjoy it.

Golden eyes blinked as they reassessed the situation before he threw his head back and laughed. As he laughed Lust tried once more to jab a finger through his skull. It phased through and she swore inwardly. When it subsided Lust couldn't help herself.

"Who are you?" She barked.

"Someone who simply wants to enjoy the show." He replied, giving a small jerk in the direction that the Ishbalan man had disappeared down a moment ago. "A bloodbath is always such a beautiful thing. I can't have you ruining it before it gets good."

Well that explained the hand in her chest.

Lust let her eyes drift over his shoulders to where, if she squinted, she could just see the Ishbalan disappear into a crowd a street over.

"You know I'm going to kill him." She replied coolly, a sneer twisting her features as she let her eyes slide back to the grey skinned male.

A brow raised. "Are you? But I could just kill you right now—" He replied, trailing off as he squeezed the stone again and watched as she hissed, air whistling between her teeth as her face twitched in pain.

A small growl rumbled through her but she suppressed it, her sneer returning instead. "And rid yourself of this fun? He may be entertaining but I can tell that this little interaction-" She strikes another finger through his forehead then, not pausing to curse or blink when it phases, "is the most fun you've had in a while."

There's silence as he stares at her, his face carefully blank. After a moment he steps back and pulls his arm out of her body.

"Perhaps our—"

He's cut off as Lust twirls with the ferocity and quickness of lightning, hands raking across his body and separating it into pieces, blood splashing across the walls of the alley. When she straightens, triumph practically radiates from her.

"I knew I would spill his blood." She smirks to herself as she inspects her handiwork. Without so much as a nod she steps over the mutilated body and begins to continue her pursuit of the Ishbalan.

"I take it that means I get to spill yours next time?"

She stiffens and spins on a dime in time to see his body bubbling and morphing back together, the darkened coloured blob elongating and shifting until it took the form of the man, a hand on his neck and working out a sore muscle.

No words come to her.

He's completely back to his perfectly untouched state and he turns himself to fully face her. "Not that this wasn't fun, but I have to go. I don't want my Ishbalan friend getting too far." He flicks his wrist and a playing card is suddenly in his hand. He throws it and instinctively Lust snatches it from the air.

He grins and suddenly he is starting to fade. "Come after him again and I may have to spill some blood. If you ever want a truce though…show me that."

And then he's gone.

Lust blinks before looking down at the card. It's the Queen of Hearts with the word 'Tyki' scrawled across the face of the card in a flourish. She scowls darkly and tears the card in two before shoving the pieces roughly into the pocket of her dress.

* * *

Cross knew Allen would have questions after he finished talking. How could he not. The boy was training to be an exorcist. Everything Cross was saying was vital to his studies. It was a history lesson that could still haunt him. Yet he only absently answered his apprentice as he watched Edward.

The blond had stayed absolutely silent throughout the whole talk. Cross would've mistaken it for a sign of disinterest if those golden eyes didn't tell him otherwise. They were practically hanging off of every word, even if Cross was positive Ed didn't understand half of it.

It had been several minutes now since Cross had finished talking, and still Ed was giving him silence. Yet it was obvious that his brain was whirring as his face puckered into a small scowl and his eyes glazed to stare just past Cross' shoulder. After repeating a question and realizing Allen didn't have his masters attention anymore, Allen followed his gaze and was also watching Edward.

"Edward?" The white haired boy ventured after another moment. Golden eyes slowly rose to face the red head, his lips pulling down into a frown.

"…Why are you telling me all this?"

Cross raised a brow in honest surprise. He hadn't expected that to be the boy's first question. "No trust among friends?" Cross covered with a quickly pulled together smirk.

"I barely know you." Ed deadpanned just as quickly before he narrowed his eyes. "Why would a stranger seek me out to just generously offer me this helpful information?"

"Because I'm a 'generous stranger'."

"Ehhhhh, don't buy it." Ed beeped in denial as he continued to look Cross over. Apparently any or what little faith Ed had in Cross because of Risembool was now being question since he was no longer close to death. "Everything is aligning up too perfectly. I'm looking for information on the Noah, you happen to turn up with information on the Noah. It's all a little too convenient."

Cross realized that there was going to be no room to budge in this issue as Ed's hard eyes continue to stare him down suspiciously and he sighed, leaning back against his seat.

"So distrustful." He muttered before he too frowned and stared back at the boy. "Do you remember the first time we met?"

"I think I can imagine it."

Allen almost smiled at the sarcasm in Ed's voice. Almost. He too remembered the meeting with great vividness. It wasn't exactly a matter one should smile about.

"And your brother, Alphonse was it? Do you remember what he was like when we met?"

Ed said nothing but Cross knew the answer by the visible way he stiffened. Cross continued before Ed could reply with what Cross could only assume would be something nasty.

"Now given everything I just told you, about exorcists, innocence, akuma, Noah, can you think back to him? To that light that I'm sure you saw. Try to think what it might be."

Cross barely had to finish his sentence before he saw Allen's eyes widen in realization and his apprentice spoke quietly instead of Edward, the realization coming quickly to the soon to be exorcist.

"Innocence." He breathed with realization. "It was innocence."

Edward only seemed to grow more confused at the revelation though his suspicious gaze seemed to lessen at Allen's awe. "So?" He asked roughly as he looked between the two foreigners. "What's that got to do with…whatever this is?" Ed articulated, waving his good arm in the air in a gesture that tried to encompass the situation.

It was Allen who answered him, the young apprentice now seeming to have a grasp on the conversation. "You can't just leave innocence. It's powerful! If it's not handled correctly it can cause unearthly phenomenons. Sometimes they can cause miracles, sometimes catastrophes…"

"And they always attract akumas—" Cross began.

"And Noah." Ed finished now catching the tail end of the explanation.

"One of the tiers of my job is to collect innocence. I would've had to of taken it from your brother. But…I didn't understand how it was woven with him and I took a chance. I left. But I made the Doctor keep tabs on you two. He let me know that you two had left Risembool and I decided that it was time I tried to find you again. I was in town when I overheard your caretaker man there talking about your search for the Noah at the bar."

All three cast a quick glance to where Hughes sat visible in the kitchen, out of earshot but still visible. Although he couldn't hear a word they were saying he was watching with the eyes of a hawk, as he tried to look relaxed, leaning against the counter and sipping his drink.

Ed blinked as he turned his gaze back to the redhead before his brow furrowed in thought. "But you said it was the innocence that's unstable. And I…I don't have it, Al does. So that means…" Ed was quiet for a beat before his lips twitched, and then they pulled back into a bitter smirk. "So you're not even looking for me. You're looking for Al. I was a fluke."

Cross' answer was his silence and Ed snorted. There was an audible rustle from the other room and then Hughes made his way over.

"Your time is up." He informed the exorcist who shot a look at the large clock before nodding.

"Your right. We have to get going if we want to catch the train in the morning." Cross replied before he clambered to his feet and motioned for Allen to do the same. Ed let out a bark of a laugh as he watched the two gather their things.

"What? So you tell me all this and you're not even going to help me now?"

Cross looked at him shrewdly as he fastened his hat onto his head before he straightened. "I _am_ helping you." He informed him seriously. Ed only continued to stare at him and Cross let out a sigh before he rooted through the inner pockets of his coat. He pulled his hand back and revealed a small obsidian diamond that he pressed into Ed's hand.

"There, I was tinkering with that. Saving it to be a prototype but I suppose I can part with it if it'll stop your whining. It should give you a direct line to Timcampy here." The said golden orb made a whirring noise from where it sat on top of Allen's head.

Ed stared at the diamond and barely registered the brief communication between the exorcists and Hughes. He tapped the diamond with his thumb and wings unfurled from it in a snap revealing the golem that began to hover just above his hand.

* * *

Roy blinked as he looked at the letter thrust out before him. He took it gingerly before casting a questioning glance up at Hughes.

"What's this?" He asked as he began to skim the contents.

"Edward's official declaration that he would like to take the State Alchemy Exam." Hughes explained. "We talked just the other night. He's more geared up than ever to go looking for his brother but he needs the proper utilities. Funds and access to research. He thinks becoming a State Alchemist will help him."

"You mean you told him it would help him." Roy pointed out as he continued to read the letter.

"It will." Hughes replied confidently. Roy finished reading before sighing and tucking the letter away in his pocket. He turned to properly face his friend and looked at him critically.

"You know what it means if he passes. I'll sponsor him but if he becomes a State Alchemist he may see things, do things, that no 12-year-old should have to do. Are you ok with that Hughes?"

Hughes paused for a beat before he squared his shoulders and gave a single nod of confirmation. "I am."

Roy nodded back before turning back towards his office. "Good. Now ask the kid that. The Exam is in two weeks."

* * *

"Would you hurry up? You're going to make us late!" Bookman barked as he watched the redhead teenager lag a few blocks behind. The teen only gave a wave of dismissal to show that he heard the old Asian and Bookman rolled his eyes in annoyance, muttering obscene things under his breath.

The boy was extremely intelligent and quite perceptive, he had all the makings of an excellent Bookman, but sometimes Bookman just needed to take a minute to hold in his frustration at all the boy's pointless wandering. He was always a street or two behind looking at something that was of no importance.

"Panda! Come see this!" The teens smiled before he disappeared down a street. Bookman practically bristled in both surprise and annoyance.

"Lavi!" He yelled as he followed after the young man.

Lavi was only a few streets over, his red hair making him a beacon as he began making his way towards the crowd that had amassed themselves in front of the huge official building that loomed ahead.

"Come on Panda! You're growing slow in your old age!" He threw back as he looked back and saw the older man still lagging. The remark earned him a hard smack upside the head as the elder Bookman easily closed the distance between them.

"You better have a reason for dragging me over here. We have to begin our journey back to the Order. They're expecting us."

Lavi frowned at him before he gestured to the large building in front of them. "It's the day of the State Alchemist exam. You always say that we need to keep track of historical events. This should count."

"They have a State Alchemist exam every year." Bookman pointed out though he looked at the walls with less anger at his apprentice's revelation.

"And only one person in hundreds pass." Lavi remarked before a noise emitted from the crowd, catching his attention. The men guarding the rather gaping entrance onto military grounds, shifted as people began to stream out of the visible building. It was obvious they were civilians by the lack of their military uniforms. The crowd seemed to grow excited by the appearance of the test takers, mass muttering erupting through the air. Lavi and Bookman watched one after another as the test takers even looked at each other and it became obvious, by the looks of dejection and the shaking of the heads, that the people milling around in the court yard weren't the new State Alchemist.

The buzz seemed to grow as the revelation sunk into the test takers as well and they began spinning, trying to find the sole victor while also making their way to the exit.

It was several minutes later, when the buzz had quieted, that the victor emerged. Lavi was the first to spot him.

A child, maybe only a couple years younger than himself, leaning awkwardly on one metal crutch, pushed his way out of the main doors with a stunned look on his face. He was clutching a small manila folder and, even from this distance Lavi could see, a very obvious silver pocket watch. A military man with dark hair pushed through the doors behind him with a guiding hand and that's when the others seemed to take notice.

The buzz seemed to erupt then as people tried to peer at the boy, the guards the gate holding back the crowd while the few test takers still inside the grounds rushed over and began to pepper him with questions.

It was a small debacle that was immediately extinguished with the threat of more military men coming out of the building, the crowd dispersing and all the civilians leaving. At the end of it all Lavi was able to overhear a name from one of the test takers that had managed to talk to the boy.

"Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist."


	19. Good News

**Disclaimer: I don't own FMA or DGrayMan.**

**Authoress Note: Whoa, I got this one out quick haha. I'm aiming to try and write faster. I've had a bout of inspiration so let's hope that stays.**

**I'm going to deeply apologize in advance for Nina. I feel like this will be an issue that will make everybody sad. But when I first started this story having Nina and Tucker were one of the things from the FMA timeline I resolved to have still be a factor.**

* * *

**Obvious Grief**

**By: animeroxsmyworld**

**Chapter 19: Good News**

* * *

King Bradley watched from the window as the crowd below broke out at the sight of the new State Alchemist.

"Fuhrer…if I can speak freely?" One of his men asked from where he was also staring out the window, watching as Mustang followed Edward out and quickly dispersed the crowd.

"Go ahead." Bradley accepted as he kept his eye trained on the head of golden hair.

"Why him? I mean he's only a child. There were candidates here who passed him in the written test and he—"

Bradley turned his head to look at the man speaking, the small action stopping any further word's abruptly.

"Do you trust my judgement?" Bradley asked with a raised brow. The other man seemed to grow flustered, sputtering for a second before he calmed himself.

"Y-yes sir." He stuttered, relief washing over him when Bradley smiled.

"Good, because I chose him and that's what matters." He replied and the other man blustered, cheeks reddening, before nodding and walking away. Bradley looked out the window again until there was nothing to see and then he disappeared into his own office.

He wasn't alone.

A tall man already stood there, a glass of wine clutched in his hand as he too stood by the window, having watched the scene Bradley suspected.

"Feeling well?" Bradley asked as he stepped to the small bar in the corner and poured himself a drink as well. Gold eyes glanced his way before returning to the scenery ahead.

"I'm feeling perfectly well, don't bother with such trivial questions." The blonde admonished as he took a sip from his glass, downing the contents in one gulp. "It's not in your design."

"Of course Father."

"Did you pick an alchemist?" Father asked as he returned his attention to the room, turning himself to his creation and setting the wine glass on the desk. Bradley nodded obediently and Father found himself nodding along with him before he had even said anything.

Good, he could always count on Wrath to get things done.

He was one of his finer creations.

"I did as you asked. I picked Edward Elric." Bradley informed before he paused. "Others are questioning my judgement. He is a child and there were others with better knowledge."

"They're fools." Father replied casually with a wave of his hand. "They don't see his talent. He's seen the truth. None of those other fools have seen it."

Bradley didn't have to ask how the other man knew. He had glimpsed him ghosting about at the back of the room at the time of the test, both at the written exam and at the time of actual performance. Although Ed had been beaten by a few others in the written portion, when it came to performance he had shocked himself and a few of the judges. He had clasped his hands together and bowed towards the judges, a simple sign of respect that he had witnessed a few of the other alchemists do, and thus believed he must do as well. When he then bent down to touch the ground to begin drawing his transmutation circle there was a roar of surprise from both the preteen and others in the room when his transmutation suddenly sprung forth…with no circle.

He had looked bewildered at first but had owned it quickly as if he had meant to do it all along. When Bradley looked at the back of the room and saw the glint in his Father's eye, he knew the decision had been made.

Father brought Bradley out of his thoughts when the elder opened the doors to the hidden elevator that led below.

"I trust you to watch things." Was his only command before he disappeared from sight. Father returned to domain in little time, ignoring the sound of the other homunculi squabbling. They were always squabbling over something. They quieted at his presence but then returned to their argument.

As long as they weren't trying to maim each other it was fine.

Father sat in his chair and pulled his chess board close. The pieces he carved himself, a small hobby of a task he had picked up in these long years he had been alive. He needed five…five pieces. That's what it took.

He had three pieces carved out already, their features carved out roughly in the wood figures. He set to work on the newest one, drowning out all noise, all distractions as time disappeared. When he was done he drew back and looked at the features of the Fullmetal Alchemist pressed into the wood.

Giving a nod he placed it back on the board next to the piece of the deranged, grinning clown.

* * *

Komui scowled as he looked at the monitor and then back at Alphonse. After the talk with Lenalee they had set to work with trying to help the armoured child raise his synchronization. So far they seemed in a bit of a rut.

They had done this plenty of times with other exorcists in the past but Alphonse was a rather unique case.

Just exactly what type of innocence did he have?

It wasn't reacting with anything.

"Can you try that again Al?" Komui asked as he tapped the screen before writing something down and glancing once more at the armor. Al looked around at some of the other members of the science department who were watching the spectacle and taking notes of their own. It was only a small handful but all the eyes on him made Al shift uncomfortably.

"I'll try." He answered.

He turned his gaze away and tried to let his mind go blank. Just try to relax. Relax and concentrate.

It was there.

Everyone told him it was there. He could even see it there when he took his helmet off.

Yet he felt…well nothing, but he felt the same.

He sat quietly letting his mind churn peacefully. He didn't know how long he sat there. He just sat in silence, letting his thoughts wander when someone finally spoke. Reever if Alphonse remembered correctly.

"I think it's a no go chief. I'm sorry to say it but you've been working the poor kid for close to three hours now. I think we need a different approach." A few members bobbed their heads in agreement and Komui sighed as he ran a hand over his face and frowned at the notes in front of him. After a moment he nodded.

"Ok, why don't we break for now, we can try again later." He told the team before he grabbed what little notes he had and muttered to himself. "I'll need to think about this some more."

Mixed mutterings of agreements passed around the small group before they dispersed and Lenalee emerged from her position in the crowd, having been observing the treatment. She also doubled as Al's escort between the vast room's in the Order.

"Nothing at all?" The young exorcist asked as she appeared next to Al's side and waited patiently for him to return to motion. Al just shook his head and she nodded sadly before offering him a small smile. "I'm sure you'll get it. But until then, what did you want to do today?"

"I don't know." The armour shrugged. "Maybe explore. Or read I suppose." He answered. "I finished all the books that were in my room."

Lenalee blinked in surprise. "Already? There must've been at least a whole wall of books in there!"

"I've had some time." Al admitted dryly. Not needing to sleep or eat really freed up his reading time. Add that to the fact that Al had always been a fast reader and he had practically sped through those books to pass the time whenever he wasn't in the science department with Komui.

"Well the Order has a pretty large library. We can start there." She advised as they reached the hallway. The walk to the library wasn't far. It was only two flights down, a considerably shorter distance when Lenalee had told Alphonse the actual size of the Order. Two flights was nothing.

As they pushed their way into the huge room Al fell into slight awe. There were rows upon rows of books, shelves upon shelves, winding up and around to the point where a ladder was elected to reach some of the higher volumes. He couldn't help some of the excited glee that slipped into his voice.

"There must be thousands of books here!" He gushed as he took in the sight.

Lenalee only gave a nod as she led him further inside the room, her own purple eyes looking around at the shelves that encompassed them. "We have books on mostly everything, and then we have a section that's just for internal use in the Order. The Order likes to keep records of everything they do. If you jump into one of those books without knowing all the details it will give you a headache trying to work everything out."

She turned to continue her explanation and was stopped short when she saw that Al wasn't paying attention. He was already a few shelves over, pulling books off the shelf and skimming over the covers talking excitedly to himself.

Alphonse couldn't help himself. He was immediately absorbed. He had at least three books cradled in one arm when the title of another caught his eye and he found himself flipping through the pages, eyes skimming through, judging whether he should add this book to his collection or not.

Lenalee watched him for a moment more before she began to search the shelves herself. Al didn't seem to be going anywhere soon. Unfortunatley she didn't seem to have Al's absolute resolve when it came to reading and was soon finding boredom creeping up on her as she lounged at one of the nearby reading tables. Maybe that was why she noticed the silent entrance of the other occupant immediately.

"Lavi!" She brightened, recognizing the shock of red hair that had slid like a ghost through the door. The teen blinked before smiling back and making his way towards her, various pages, notebooks and items under his arms. The Jr Bookman had been doing work for the Order for years, under apprenticeship of the lead Bookman, but he had only recently pledged himself officially to the Order in this current bout of time.

"Hello Lenalee." He greeted as he dropped his load of papers and other things onto the table and took up a chair.

"What are you doing?" She asked curiously as she plucked up a few of his notebooks up and marveled at the weight of them. They could be bricks! Lavi snatched them back good naturedly as he pulled out a variety of pens and markers from his pocket and pulled out one very fine leather bound book from the pile of mess.

"Marking down my last trip with the old Panda." He explained. "Sometimes when we journey we travel too fast or there's too much stuff happening for us to mark everything down. So we remember everything we see or make little jot notes when we cane, collect tidbits from town and then when we finally stop we write down everything we remember." Lavi explained as he handed her a fistful of quickly jotted notes for emphasis.

The two chatted casually as Lenalee helped him sort out his mess of paper and little trinkets. Whenever she looked lost she would simply show whatever she was holding to Lavi and wait for the redhead to chuckle and point to whatever pile it belonged to. Time was beginning to fly now.

He also had a map, which he quickly unrolled, and with a pencil he began to outline his journey while telling Lenalee a few of his adventures. She nodded and hummed at the right parts, becoming enthralled in adventures that weren't her own.

She wasn't the only one.

"And lastly we were in Central before coming here." Lavi started as he circled the city with his pencil. Lenalee watched with rapt attention. She had never been to Ametris before. She always assumed it was an exotic place with constantly gorgeous weather. She had yet to visit.

"What did you see?" She asked. She had asked him several times what he had seen in various places already and Lavi would either tell her his story or, if it was something important he would simply smirk and say "something educational." That was what he had said when she had asked him about Ishbal.

"The State Alchemist Exam. Hundreds of people try out to get picked but only one person passes." At her confused look he tries to elaborate. "It would be like if hundreds of exorcists gathered here to take tests to be Marshall's but only one person every year was picked."

Understanding filled her face and she nodded. "Oh."

"It was amazing though. A kid got picked. Well I say kid but he's probably your age. His name was Edward Elric—"

There was a sudden crash near the bookshelves. "WHAT?!"

The two jumped so fiercely that Lavi knocked his chair over, the redhead on his feet and already gripping his hammer with one hand while Lenalee remained seated, wide eyed and holding a hand to her chest to try and calm her heart.

"Ed joined the military?!" Al continued, ignoring the mood in the air as he just continued to stare at the newcomer, a pile of books lying forgotten at his feet, along with two shelves that he had accidentally broken in his commotion.

Lavi continued to stare at him critically, saying nothing until Lenalee seemed to regain herself.

"Put it down Lavi its ok. He's with us." She said in what she hoped was a soothing voice as she rose slowly from her chair. Lavi glanced at her, his gaze taking in her relaxed, unafraid stance, and he slowly loosened his stance, reverting to his former self.

"You shouldn't sneak up on a guy like that." Lavi advised with a sigh as he put his hammer back in his belt loop and continued to gaze at the suit of armour before him. His Bookman mind filed every little bolt and dent away as he looked the big suit over warily.

Al knew he should feel more sorry than he does, but he just can't find it in himself at the moment.

"I'm sorry but you mentioned something about Edward?" He both apologizes and asks, a bit of urgency noticeable in his tone and making the older teen raise a brow.

"I did…" Lavi offered up slowly.

"He became a State Alchemist? When? How was he? Did he look ok?!" Al began to beg as he began to move closer, and close until he was practically within arm's reach. "Please, is my brother _ok!_?"

When Al finally stopped talking he could practically see the realization bloom across Lavi's face. Any suspicions, or any that pertained to Al's interest in his stories, vanished as a light lit in his eye.

"Oh he's your brother!" The older teen gushed before he waved his hands in a variety of gestures. "He looked fine, well I suppose he looked fine. He was walking with a crutch but besides—"

"He was _walking_!"

"…uh yeah."

Al sunk down to sit on one of the now forgotten chairs that Lavi and Lenalee had vacated, his gaze wandering past and staring at the air. "…he's walking…" He whispered repeatedly in awe. "He's was walking…"

A small awkward silence fell over the trio before Al suddenly burst from his seat and Lavi found himself enveloped in metal arms.

"Thank you! Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

Lavi felt all the air rush from his lungs as he got crushed against the unflinching metal but whatever news he had offered had apparently lifted the metal giant's spirits tremendously. He awkwardly patted Al's elbow, that being all the movement his arm allowed him, and was grateful when the action garnered his release.

"Uh you're welcome big guy." Lavi wheezed once he could breathe again, doubling over to catch his breath. A hand the size of his face was then thrust forward and Lavi looked at it for only a moment before he shook it, recognizing the gesture instantly.

"Lavi." He greeted.

"Alphonse." He could practically hear the beaming smile in the child's voice. "Alphonse Elric."

* * *

He could taste it.

The sadness.

The very obvious grief.

He could see it, taste it, hear it.

It energized him as he slipped into the house like a ghost, honing in on his target. He didn't have to try to mask his entrance. He found that with grieving people he hardly ever did. They were too wound in their own worlds to notice much when they were pushed to the brink like this man clearly seemed to be.

He was hunched lowly over his desk with one the light from his fire to illuminate him. Papers were thrown about and covering the top like a blanket as he stared blankly at whatever was before him, not seeing a single thing.

"What will I do? My assessment is too close. I might just have to…no…but I might need…how could I...but how could I not?"

The Earl paused to listen to his muttered babbling. He sounded on the verge of coming to…some sort of conclusion. His grief was emanating so strongly that the Earl closed his eyes and actually relished in the moment. Some people's grief was just so much more delicious than other's.

The man seemed to come to a decision and the Earl decided to make his move.

"Hello Mr. Tucker." He greeted heartily.

The balding man froze where he was trying to rise from his seat before he sat back down and ever so slowly turned to face the monster behind him. His eyes were wide and slightly glassy and the Earl could see the tiny steps of fear beginning to cloud in them.

"Hello." Tucker greeted back slowly, his voice surprisingly calm despite this surprise. The Earl waited for the questions, waited for the usual tirade and the crying and all the usual habits that the silly humans had when they say him but Shou Tucker did none of those things.

He simply stared and waited.

Maybe his grief had gone too far and he had cracked just a little.

Either way the Earl was eager to greet the change.

"You seem so rather down Shou Tucker. So _incredibly_ down. What could be the matter? Hmmmmmmm?" The Earl sing-songed as he twirled his way to the front of the man's desk, Shou watching his every move. The man said nothing and for the first time the Earl noticed the bottle of scotch gripped tightly in his one hand, the bottle dangerously close to empty.

Perhaps that explained the man's eerie calmness.

Shou blinked up at him, as if wondering whether there was a point in even talking to this strange man, before his lips began to move.

"Everything over." He began quietly, the sounds of the fire popping in the fireplace the only thing interrupting him. "My career, my dream. Everything will disappear when I have to do my assessment. My State Alchemist title, my house, my money. All gone. Nina and I will be forced out onto the street. I have nothing that tops my last experiment." And then his eyes grew far away and he suddenly began to ramble. "But perhaps if the subject was only younger. Nina's age. Yes…it could work then. It would still strain the body and there's no guarantee that she would even survive but I could…no…no…that's my daughter…oh but think of the possibilities if it worked!"

And the Earl blinked and held the speech he had prepared.

Perhaps, just maybe, this human could help him. Select few humans held the ability to transfer their grief, spreading it like fire to others. But this man could possibly be one of those few. And suddenly the Earl saw the possibilities. This man funded by himself, akuma guarding him as he made…whatever these creations were that he was rambling on about. Surely the grief would spread and where there was grief there was business for him, and that meant akuma and a bigger army.

His goofy demeanor dropped as he used Lero as a cane and leaned on the poor umbrella, looking the alchemist over.

"I could help you." The clown offered. "I could give you better. A nicer house, a mansion, with guards at your beck and call. You could have everything you wanted at your fingertips. No one would harm you and you would work solely for me. You could experiment to your heart's content."

The man looked at him owlishly as the Earl's sweet words rolled over him, tugging at all the right places.

"….who…who are you again?" The alchemist asked with a slight frown, as if just realizing that this wasn't some sort of alcohol induced dream.

"The Millennium Earl." The clown greeted, tipping his hat towards the man and revealing two horns that glinted briefly in the firelight before they disappeared quickly back under his hat. Shou stared at him before he took another swig from his bottle and downed all of its contents. He stood on wobbly legs, leaning onto his desk for support.

"Can you really do all that? Promise me all those things?" He asked, the hint of hope in his voice and eyes poorly hidden as he gazed at the foreign man before him.

"Of course I can. But there is one condition first."

"What?" Tucker asked quickly, fearfully as if all his hopes were suddenly dashed. "What is it? I'll do it!"

"I'll have to see one of your experiments. Just for reassurance of course."

Tucker nodded, bobbing in understanding before he turned to where the room opened out onto the staircase.

"Nina! Can you come here please?"


	20. Combat

**Obvious Grief**

**By: animeroxsmyworld**

**Chapter 20 : Combat**

* * *

Edward clutched the sink tightly, trying not to collapse onto it and break it off the wall as his body convulsed. He coughed and hacked, blood spraying from his lips with each convulsion and speckling the marble sink below him.

It was all still too new and too soon.

Three years they had told him. Three years was how long rehabilitation would take.

He didn't have three years.

His brother was missing now and with each passing day, Ed grew more and more restless. He hated being restricted like this. He pushed himself each day. Being at the Hughes' house had given him the opportunity to rest on his bed or on a couch when he felt he had pushed himself too far and needed a breather, a moment to let himself recharge, but things were different now that was he was actually inside the military halls.

He was constantly standing, constantly moving and working himself to the bone, even with the extra help of his crutch. His limbs were in constant protest and there were no fluffy beds or cushy couches just around the corner for him to collect himself on when the moments snuck up on him. He would be exhausted and hurting all day, only being able to rest when he made it back to the Hughes' house. But then his mind would be racing, absorbed in his research and he never got any real rest until he went to sleep.

He couldn't remember a time when he had felt this drained before.

At the sound of the bathroom door opening Ed quickly turned on the faucet, the sink filling with water and washing away the red spots that had dirtied it. He turned a fierce eye to the intruder and saw Roy Mustang looking back at him.

They said nothing for a moment before Roy closed his eyes and stepped deeper into the bathroom, the door shutting soundly behind him.

"You missed a spot." He said calmly as he pointed to a spot on his own chin. Ed felt embarrassment churn in his stomach, but hid it well as he glared at the older man and wiped at his face with his sleeve. He had gotten to know Mustang over his short time as a State Alchemist, Ed placed under the man's charge. He was also a good friend of Hughes' which resulted in him knowing more about Ed's personal life than the blonde would like.

Despite this Ed couldn't help trying to hide away as much as he could from those onyx eyes.

His business was his business and his alone.

"You shouldn't push yourself too hard Edward." Roy advised as he continued on his way to one of the stalls. "Eventually it'll all build up and then you'll have gone beyond repair."

"Thanks for the advice." Ed muttered, rolling his eyes. He straightened sharply and tried his best to keep the tremble out of his legs as he grabbed for the crutch he had practically thrown against the wall in his hurry to grab the sink. Tucking it securely under his arm he strode purposefully out of the bathroom. He didn't need any warning. He knew all the warnings. He must've heard all of them by now.

He didn't need Mustang on his case now too.

* * *

Kanda barely let out a grunt as his sword drove deeply into the practice dummy, lodging soundly into its core. With a twist he wrenched it out, bits of fluff flying into the sky as he turned in one fluid motion and straightened to look at them.

"I don't think so."

Lenalee huffed as she crossed her arms. "Why not?"

"I'm not going to waste my time. Besides he's practically declared a lost cause anyways." He replied as he sheathed Mugen but made no move to step out of the training arena. Instead he just continued to eye the three before him coldly.

"That's not true." Al cut in. "It's only been a couple months! It—"

"It shouldn't take that long to get synchronization. You're wasting your time. Combat training isn't going to help."

"We don't know that. It's one of the few methods brother hasn't tried yet. There has to be something."

"Yeah come on Yu!" Lavi called from where he lounged next to Lenalee. The murderous glare Kanda throws his way is staggering.

"Don't. Call. Me. That." He grits out icily. Lavi only grins and returns the stare.

"Come on Kanda," Lenalee interrupts, physically placing herself between the two before the murderous looks escalate. "Everyone agrees that you have the most combat knowledge out of all the exorcists. It would be a big help if you would lend a hand."

"You mean most combat knowledge out of everyone _here_." Kanda rephrases as he makes a vague gesture to the air around them. The number of exorcists in the very building are so few that they can be counted on one hand. There are Marshall's who travel collecting apprentice's or collecting Innocence, and then there are branches of the Black Order in completely separate continents.

But here, in this very building, the numbers are surprisingly few.

"…maybe…" She admits after a moment and the older teen sighs.

"It's not going to help." He clarifies before he makes a lazy circle and turns to face Al head on. "If he can survive a round with me, I'll think about helping you."

For a moment there's silence where no one says anything, before Al seems to fluster. "But I've never been trained before!"

"Then I won't have to help you."

Al looks to Lenalee and Lavi for support in his defence but he finds the two exorcists already clearing to the side of the room where sparring gear, dummies, and matts are stored.

"How long's a round?" Lenalee asks as she perches herself up on top of a stack of matts, her gaze flicking from the two boy's to the silent clock on the wall.

"When the other's on their backs." Kanda replies easily.

"KO?" Lavi asks with a raised brow. "Sounds a little harsh for a spar…if you can even call this one."

"No, just until he loses his footing." Lenalee clarifies. "I've seen Kanda do this exercise with Tiedoll before. Something about being able to stay on your feet or…something. I don't remember it completely."

The two fall silent as Kanda slides into a loose stance, Mugen still sheathed at his hip. Unsure of himself Al lowers himself to a sloppy stance, full of openings. Kanda tenses and is about to lift his feet to move when Al speaks and interrupts him.

"Are we using weapons?"

To emphasis his point the Elric gestures towards Kanda's sword.

Kanda scowls. "Why not?"

"Well I don't have one."

"In a real fight will you expect the enemy to stop just because you don't have a weapon?" Kanda asks, his scowl deepening. "If Komui had figured out your Innocene weapon then you would have a weapon and this would be a fair fight. As it is, you're synchronization is too low and the science department has failed you in the aspect, this then is not a fair fight."

"Don't be cruel Yu."

"Can it rabbit!"

Al hesitates for only a second before he looks at the ground below them. Although most of the room is well kept for training, a large section back behind Kanda even padded for hand-to-hand combat, a few spots of the cobble floor is cracking from wear and tear. The boy bends and easily pulls up a sliver of rock no bigger than his pinkie.

"Can I use this?"

The confusion on the exorcists is apparent as they stare at him but Kanda only frowns before shrugging. "Fine. You can use your…rock."

Al nods as he holds the rock firmly in his hand and lowers himself once more into his sloppy stance. Almost immediately Kanda rushes him. Al only has enough time to digest the fact that Kanda has left his sword sheathed before Kanda's weight slams into his chest, blowing past what small defence he had.

He's sent careening back and he's twisting dangerously off balance when his foot slides across the floor and finds purchase, steadying himself. He barely registers the fact he's upright before Kanda falls to the ground and swipes his leg in a large arc, pushing Al's legs apart.

He wobbles as he falls into the splits, his hands jutting out finding the ground to keep him upright. He doesn't doubt that if he had still had his body, that this would be rather painful.

"Take it easy Kanda!" Lenalee calls from the side, but the blue-haired exorcist ignores her. Kanda gives Al little time as he twirls to his feet, the sound of Mugen sliding out of its sheath sounding through the air.

Al gets his feet back under him but instead of trying to retaliate Kanda's blow he begins to run his rock furiously against the ground. Kanda scowls and stares as Al continues to scribble.

"What are you doing?" He snaps. "We're in the middle of a fight!"

"I know." Al replies calmly.

Kanda's lip pulls back into a sneer as he pushes Mugen against Al's helmet. "Then take this seriously and continue fighting."

"I am."

A vein almost seemed to pop in Kanda's forehead before he swung his sword back and let it fly in a wide arc, Lavi crying out in response at the killing blow it would deal. Al threw himself to the side as Mugen passed under his helmet, separating it from the rest of his armour, and also pressing his hand to the transmutation circle at the same time.

Rock flew from the ground like a tidal wave with a crackle of light, the grey stone rising from the ground, slamming into Kanda and twisting so it smashed back into the ground and kept him pinned, solidifying and looking like a gnarled tree root.

"Oh my god…" Lenalee gaped as she stared at the formation in front of her. Her eyes landed on Al who was standing and lumbering over to his helmet. "What…what was that?"

"Alchemy." Lavi and Al said together, the younger male looking at the redhead in mild surprise while Lavi looked at the rock in calculative awe.

"I've seen it in action only a few times before." The bookman confessed as he began walking to the center of the room where Kanda was currently pinned. "That was magnificent! Hey Yu, you still alive under there."

"Shut up."

"Yup he's alive." Lavi grinned as he knelt down to where Kanda's head and hands poked out from the stone. Kanda glared at him before his gaze shifted to Alphonse.

"That would've been a killing blow if you had a normal body." He pointed out.

"Yeah but wasn't the whole point of this the fact that well…he doesn't?" Lenalee wondered out loud as she too came to stand next to the rather immobilized Kanda. Then she frowned and looked at Kanda. "Wait, you found him with Tiedoll and helped bring him to the Order, didn't you know about his condition already?"

Kanda's eyes instantly flitted to a different corner of the room as he mumbled something.

"What? I didn't hear that?" Lavi asked as he poked Kanda's cheek earning him a murderous glare.

"I said I forgot!" He hissed. "He wasn't fighting me seriously so I got mad and forgot!"

"But I was fighting seriously." Al piped in as he finally rejoined them, his helmet sitting snuggly once more on his shoulders.

The exorcists all exchanged a look and from the way Lavi and Lenalee smiled at each other Kanda groaned.

"Fine, I'll help with the stupid training. You, get this off me." He barked at Al. Al obliged with a quickly scribbled transmutation circle from his rock, and the floor was back to normal. Kanda sat up and rubbed a hand unconsciously over his chest where the rock had sat. There were no injuries and within a second the dark-haired teen was on his feet, Mugen sheathed.

"So how soon do we start training?" Al asked.

"Don't get confused." Kanda replied as he began to make his way towards the doors. "I said I would _help_. I never said I would train you."

"Kanda!" Lenalee snapped with a scowl, the teenager's response a one-shouldered shrug of departure as he strode out the door. Lavi only shook his head as Lenalee's cheeks puffed with hot air before she sighed and whirled to face Al.

"Don't worry Al, I'll still help you." She promised.

* * *

The house was always full of noise in the morning. With the baby, Gracia was now awake early enough to see the boy's off. With the baby held almost possessively in Hughes' arms, Gracia scraped scrambled eggs into Ed's plate.

She stopped halfway through when she noticed his utensils.

"What did I say about messing with my silverware?" She warned as she frowned at the fork Ed was currently holding. The blond looked over at said object before a sheepish look crossed his face. The handle had been transformed to resemble that of a dragon, twisting over the handle and open its mouth into a mighty roar, its teeth acting as the prongs.

A quick look assured her the knife was in much the same condition except the blade was the dragon's tongue.

He apologized and with a quick clap the utensils were their usual self.

Ever since his discovery at the Alchemy exam, Edward had been practicing his transmutations almost constantly, sometimes he did them without even noticing. Gracia had come into the room with several design changes to her furniture and a few new toys for Elysia. A few she allowed but there were just some things she didn't want the alchemist to change.

Her silverware was one of them.

Hughes looked up from holding Elysia to glance at the calendar, and then look over at Edward, who had started to pick at his breakfast. He knew the blond knew what day it was today.

"You don't have to push yourself too hard today Ed." He advised, ignoring the way the boy immediately scowled rebelliously down at his plate. "They just want to gauge how much you can do. If it's only halfway and you feel like you can't go on, it's alright. You're still recovering. They know that."

Gracia stared between the two in confusion. "What is it? What's going on today?"

"Nothing." Ed replied gruffly.

"Edward's going to be put through combat training. The usual military training. He shouldn't have to but state alchemist's are known for going out into the field. With Ed as he is the higher ups just want to see how mobile he can be if he ever had to."

"But he's not fully recovered." Gracia practically yelped. "They said it would take 3 years for him to be fully functional. It hasn't even been a year yet."

"Which is why he doesn't have to finish." Hughes pointed out again, looking pointedly at Edward who pointedly ignored him.

Gracia made to speak again when the clock on the wall chimed and the two males looked up.

It was time to go.

* * *

He felt like he was on fire. Halfway through the drill the sky had opened up and started to rain making everything slippery. The ground below him had turned to mud, squelching underneath him each time he fell. He felt heavy and sluggish, the ground now working against him as he lifted his feet to run.

His legs were trembling and his arms felt like they were bursting into flames as he came to the wall before him and grabbed the rope that swung from it, pulling it tight and beginning his ascension.

"You can take a break Fullmetal!" The drill sergeant called from where he stood from the side. If there was any indicator of how long he had been running his laps it was probably the fact that the man on the side was trying to get him to quit. Or perhaps he had seen Ed hobbling down the HQ halls with his crutch and didn't see the fairness in making the same child run this course.

'_Screw that.' _Ed swore inwardly as he continued to climb the rope. He didn't need their pity. He could do this. He needed to do this.

He landed with a solid thud on the other side and continued to run. He ignored anything the drill sergeant yelled at him and just continued the routine. He ignored the way his chest felt like it was about to crumble, his ribs feeling like they were going to crack underneath the strain of continuing. His breathing was getting shallow and laboured as his ports for his limbs began to circuit, shooting spurts of electricity across his body when he moved wrong.

He would do this.

Al needed him.

If this was a test to see how mobile he could be if he had to be, he would show them just how mobile he could be. If Al was in front of him, just a sprint away, he wouldn't let these limbs hold him back.

He woul—

"FULLMETAL!"

Edward screeched to a stop, practically tripping himself in the mud as he whipped around to find the voice.

Roy Mustang now stood where the drill sergeant had been, and umbrella protecting him from the rain and his second in command in tow. What was her name again…Riza? Despite the distance and the blur from the rain, Ed could clearly see the furious look on his face. Ed would return it if he thought it would get him anything.

"STOP THIS AT ONCE!"

He commanded again, his voice ringing out across the yard like a gunshot. Ed felt anger begin to bubble in his stomach and tried to take a step forward, but he swayed.

Severely.

Now that he was no longer focused on the drill, the pain from…well everywhere, was finally catching up to him. His vision blurred as he swayed again, and then suddenly he was doubling over as tears of pain fell down his cheeks, blood falling like a stream down his lips as he began to cough and wheeze.

Air wasn't getting to him fast enough as more blood continued to gush from his mouth and into the mud below. He would learn after that Roy was simply passing by when he had seen Edward doing his drills, with the drill sergeant still yelling at him to stop, yet getting nothing in return. Apparently Ed's looked as well as he felt. Roy had stormed out there, not out of anger, but out of fear that Ed was killing himself.

But for now Ed's head swam and suddenly his legs were gone. The wet ground was rushing to meet him, the distant thrum of running footsteps echoing in his ears as his face smashed into the mud.

* * *

AlthoughTyki loved watching Scar cause his chaos and bloodshed, when the Earl called he had no choice but to answer. He would've been at the Earl's side faster if he still spent his Noah days chatting with Road, but as it was his journey took him longer than he had intended.

When he finally appeared, the Earl was turned away from him while a thin, gaunt looking man sat in a worn lounge chair, a large white dog-like creature sitting in front of him and letting the gaunt man run his fingers through its hair.

"My Earl." Tyki greeted with a bow.

The clown monster turned to face him but the man spoke before the Noah could.

"Is he one of them? One of those creatures you told me about?"

Tyki's eyes flashed in annoyance and without even looking he could tell the Earl's had done the same, but the Earl replied all the same.

"This is Tyki, he's different than the one's I told you about. He'll help protect you. Tyki, this is Shou Tucker. Our new…doctor."

"Doctor?" Tyki asked as he raised a brow. "We don't own a hospital."

"Ah not yet, not yet." The Earl replied with a simple wave of his hand. "I'm sure I have one in the mix somewhere. If not one can easily be procured. I need you to help Tucker's experiments get on the right track. Once he's established you can leave him in the hands of…oh…well whatever akuma you want." He explained as he waltzed easily around the room.

Tyki nodded. He understood instructions like these well, they were actually rather basic. The Earl had set up many places among the humans, humans turning humans for the Earl and building the akuma forces. But the way he said experiment tickled his curiosity. He wouldn't have said it like that if it was a typical job.

"When you say experiments…"

As if on queue the white dog like creature whined and dug her head deep into Tucker's leg. "Daddy…why…why does it hurt so much?"


	21. Medical Help

**Dislcaimer: I don't own FMA or **

**Authoress Note: I know there have been gaps between my updates and I apologize. This last little bit between chapters I was very busy (real life wise) and sometimes you just hit a block. I hope you lovely people who have stayed with me from the beginning will hold on, I do have an ending planned, and I don't plan to give up on this story. **

**With that in mind I hope you enjoy this new chapter.**

* * *

**Obvious Grief**

**By: animeroxsmyworld**

**Chapter 21: Medical Help**

* * *

He didn't remember calling for medical attention, or even asking for medical attention, but he did remember rushing over to Edward's side as the blonde lay motionless in the mud, Riza continuing to tell him "Yes sir, they're coming".

"Idiot!" Roy hissed as he crouched down and practically dug the boy from the mud's sticky grip. Blood trickled from blue lips as Mustang shifted the preteen's body. Riza crouched down on Ed's other side, her umbrella saving them from the onslaught of rain, though from the looks of it Ed was already drenched in the stuff.

How long had he been running?

With the weather he could be sick. Add that with his automail and dear god this child was so stupid. Roy couldn't help swearing again.

Riza pulled a handkerchief from her pocket and began to clean the blood that was weeping down his chin and trailing down his neck, all the while muttering reassurances. It was so easy to believe her because she spoke each sentence like a statement, not at all like a cooing mother but like a soldier, strong and steady.

There was a reason why Roy needed her.

She grounded him.

She paused briefly over Ed's neck before her hand stiffened and she abandoned the handkerchief. Her fingers splayed over Ed's neck like lightning, her sudden change confusing Mustang for only a second until he caught just where her fingers were.

When she looked up and met his gaze, he had already guessed the words before she spoke them.

"There's no pulse."

He was on his feet within mere seconds, internally grunting as he picked Ed up. A burden that Riza immediately helped ease as she took his legs, leaving Roy to carry the boy's torso. The automail made even this small child way too heavy.

"You say they're coming to us?" Roy asked with a grunt.

"Yes sir, I called them immediately."

"Then we meet them halfway."

They ran as best as they could while juggling Ed's weight, heading in the direction of the hospital. Everything lay forgotten. The handkerchief, the umbrella. Nothing else mattered. People seemed to part seamlessly around them, no one asking any questions.

It turned out they didn't have to run halfway. The medics were closer than anticipated. They barely had to look at the blonde alchemist before they leapt into action. They probably would've leapt into all kind of procedures if Riza hadn't barked out two words.

"No heartbeat!"

They stopped in mid-action before switching their techniques. Ed's shirt was sheared open with scissors and a defibrillator was passed up to the man kneeling next to Edward's chest.

"Clear!"

Ed's body arched as electricity shot through him, but he flopped back lifelessly once it passed. The medic frowned before rubbing the paddles once more.

"Still nothing, I'm going to give it another go. Clear!"

Edward arched, gold eyes flying open as a silent gasp tore his mouth open. The medics broke into movement as his eyes began to roll.

"Al…I saw…Al…" Ed breathed hoarsely, his voice lost as the medics began to lift him up onto a stretcher.

"We got a heartbeat. Let's load him up."

* * *

"Does Komui ever clean his office?" Al asked as he picked up a stack of paper that had spilled over the purple-haired man's desk and had joined the pieces already littering the floor.

"I can't say I know." Lenalee admits as she stands next to the completely hidden desk, an armful of papers nestled in one hand while the other tries to push aside the already existing stacks.

"Where do these all even come from?"

"It kind of comes with the territory of being head of the science department." Lenalee explains as she manages to set her papers down, a smile lighting her face. "Or head of any department really."

Her papers then scatter like a house of cards and her smile vanishes as a vein in her forehead begins to throb. She sighs and pinches the bridge of her nose, hoping that it will help ease the growing migraine. Why she agreed to help Komui clean his office, she doesn't quite understand.

Her train of thought instantly vanishes as Al crashes to the ground, his helmet flying across the room and spinning like a top when it lands, from the shear force. Paper flies everywhere and everything is basked in a green glow.

She had seen the pale green glow of his Innocence before, she had asked politely once to see it. She knew that inside his armour, through the small holes, the light of Innocence shone through.

It had never glowed as brightly as it did right now.

"Al?"

He remained motionless, looking like a broken toy.

"Alphonse?" She tried again as she knelt next to him. She grabbed his armour by the neck hole and shook it gently. The rattling sound echoed and made the hairs on the back of her neck rise.

It was eerie, seeing the armor so…empty.

"ALPHONSE!" She yelled as she gave a violent shake.

The light flared to a blinding white, Lenalee letting out a shriek as she snatched her hands back. Where they had been bathed in Innocence they were now burned, the skin peeling, blistering, bright red and blotchy. She was too scared to look.

Just as quickly it dimmed. It returned to its normal pale green and stayed that way for several seconds. And then a small rattle, like a tiny breath, moved throughout the metal.

"…brother…" Al whispered, the words almost too quiet for even Lenalee to hear. And then Al was moving, his body creaking as he sluggishly pulled himself into a sitting position. Despite the helmet she knew Al was looking around in confusion. She just couldn't tell where he was looking.

"Oh my god! Lenalee what happened?!"

Her response, despite how much she wanted to describe the events to him, was a quivering sniffle. She was trying so hard not to look down at her hands because she knew it would just make it worse, but even without that, she could feel the pain.

The numbing, horrible pain.

The sniffles continued until, to her dismay, her eyes began to wet with big fat tears.

"Stay right there, I'll get you help!"

She didn't argue, she only nodded and watched as Al went clunking out of the room. Where he had sat, charred paper outlined his form, scorching the wood floor beneath.

* * *

Ring.

Ring.

Ring.

Allen looked up in alarm as Tim began to vibrate, shrilling out the same tone as a phone. The golem unfurled its wings and circled once around Allen's head before heading into the other room of the hotel room.

The room Cross was currently nursing a hangover in.

Allen was actually surprised his master had arrived home in the morning at all. He had been on quite a drunk streak the past couple of days, usually going weeks at a time before Allen would see him again before they moved towns. So seeing him fumbling through the hotel room door in the morning had surprised the white-haired boy.

"SHUT UP!" He heard Cross yell as the ringing continued. The redhead then came storming into the living room with Tim, still ringing, held firmly between his two hands. Cross had a look of murder on his bloodshot face. With a ferocity Allen always knew he possessed, Cross hooked Tim into the phone line and practically ripped the phone out of its cradle.

What?! How the hell did you get this number and you better answer honestly or else I will kill you. If you're the Black Order I will hang up this phone so quickly your ears will be ringing for weeks!" Cross growled.

"_You gave me this number you moron."_

Cross was still glaring but a calculating line was creasing in his forehead. The voice on the other line was familiar. Young, but yet full of anger.

Cross sighed as he ran his free hand over his face.

"What the hell do you want Edward?" Cross grumbled as he flopped onto the nearby couch.

"_I saw my brother."_

* * *

Families filled the room, children and babies sitting with their mothers or fathers as they waited. They played to pass the time, a few simply sitting and waiting, swinging their feet and humming while the parents watched the nurses walk by anxiously, waiting for their names to be called. It's been close to a year and Shou Tucker's Medical Practice has taken off…with Tyki's help of course.

Tyki watched as one little boy clutched to his older brother's arm, the older of the two finding ease in a book while the other simply stared about. And then the smaller one began to shake.

It started low in his tummy and worked its way up until his whole body was rocking, raw, throat ripping coughs raking their way from him and catching the eye of a few of the parents.

The older boy was quick to try and ease the other's suffering, murmuring soothing words and rubbing his back.

"Shh, it's alright. You're gonna be fine. Shh, it's ok."

Seeing it firsthand, Tyki silently marveled at the Earl's plan. He could practically taste the misfortune and grief swirling through the room.

The coughing subsided and Tyki decided it was time. As a nurse passed by once more he decided to end their endless waiting game.

"You," He said as he caught the fake nurse's arm. The fake human appearance almost rippled beneath the sudden motion to reveal the akuma beneath, but it fixed itself in a flash and a small woman stood before him with a questioning look on her face.

"Yes Lord Noah?" She asked and he just nudged his head in the direction of the waiting room.

"That one. With the floppy ear hat."

Her eyes followed his to the two blond boys before she looked down at the clipboard in her hand, the names of all the patients scrawled on it. She gave the briefest of nods before turning to face the group, all faces turning to her when she cleared her throat.

"Fletcher Tringham. This way please. The Doctor will see you now."

The small brother almost trips himself in his eagerness to rise from his seat. He stops momentarily to smile at the older boy he had previously been clinging to.

"Don't worry Russell. I'll be right back." He promises, the statement earning him a small smile from the older Tringham before Fletcher is at the nurses' side. With that the two disappear down the hall.

* * *

Alphonse blocked a well-placed kick, turning at the last second and grabbing Lenalee's ankle before the appendage can retract. With a twirl he throws her like a doll through the air but her Innocence flares to life and she's twisting, landing with graceful balance on her feet on the other side of the room.

She smiles despite the sudden throw. "You're getting better." She praises. "I can barely land a punch on you anymore."

"You're holding back." Al states absently as he lets his gaze wander to her hands. It had taken a long time and a lot of medical attention, but her hands were finally back to normal. She had never blamed him, even after she had explained the situation to practically everybody and their golem.

It's been almost a year now.

"Lenalee, can we see Hevlaska again?" He asks quietly as he pulls himself up and out of his fighting stance. The dark-haired girl's smile saddens as her Innocence putters and disappears.

"Al…we've already gone two times…without permission." She adds as she draws close. Seeing Hevlaska is something that the leaders of the Order decide upon. Hevlaska's time is important and apparently out of their jurisdiction.

Al fidgets as he sits down, no longer feeling up to finishing their sparring session. After he had burned her hands, everyone was convinced he had finally gotten in contact with his Innocence. Komui had run all his tests again while the science department watched him with calculating gazes each time he passed. They had rushed him to Hevlaska, Komui looking hopeful and excited at the same time as the white exorcist descended upon him.

There was no change.

None.

"But how will I know? How will I know when I'm synchronized if she can't tell me?" He asks desperately as he begins to pick at the cobblestone beneath them. "Something's happening. I burned you Lenalee, something happened!"

"I know that, believe me I was there. This might just take more time Al."

Al visibly droops. "This isn't working." He admits. "I'll never get out of here."

"Aw come on Alphonse. The science team hasn't given up yet." Lavi's voice chides before the red head pops his head through the opens door. A thoughtful looks creases his face after the words leave his mouth. "Which is a little surprising if you think about it. It's been quite a while."

"Only a year!" Lenalee snaps back at him. Her hands immediately fly to her hips as she senses the bleak tone beginning to crawl from Al. "For all we know Al's Innocence could be a rare, new breed. Maybe our methods just need…critiquing." She offers at the end with a few vague hand gestures in the air.

Lavi shrugs as he finally enters the room to only lean against the door frame. "It's possible. Innocence is tricky. Even some of our top people have trouble understanding it. New and unexplained pieces crop up all over the place."

As he finishes a sheathed sword suddenly swings and whacks him atop his head, earning a yelp from the older male. Kanda steps in through the doors, his arm already retracting his sword. Holding up his version of his promise, Kanda dropped in whenever he felt the urge to train. Although he never did one-on-one training with the suit of armour, he had on multiple occasions complained about their techniques and offered advice.

In the way Kanda does. By insults, eye rolls, and taking over the situation.

"What the hell?!" Lavi moaned as he rubbed his head and took several steps away from the dark haired teen.

"Aren't you supposed to be somewhere?" Kanda asked simply, completely disregarding the fact that he had whacked the training bookman not even seconds ago.

Lavi eyes him warily. "I'm getting around to it. I was just stopping by while the Old Panda gathered his supplies and then I was taking off."

"Oh, where are you going Lavi? Australia again?" Lenalee asks curiously while the redhead continues to mumble unsavory things in Kanda's general direction. Lavi only shrugs in response to her question.

"For once I'm in the dark. The Panda strung this mission together, I really don't know much about it yet, he said he would tell me along the way. Where he goes, I go."

"Well you had better be safe." Lenalee warned good naturedly, a notion that makes Lavi rll his eye.

"Yes mother."

* * *

Ed stared at the folder held out towards him. He hesitated for only a second longer before he gingerly grabbed it from Mustang.

"Is this…?"

"Your first mission abroad." Roy explained simply, watching as Ed practically tore the folder open, golden eyes scoring through the information before him. "You seem ready. It's been a while since we heard you moaning and groaning over your automail so it seems time to put you in the field."

Ed makes a grunt to show he heard the older male as his eyes shoot through the text. He makes a few noises here or there as he continues to read but when he reaches the end he nods.

"When do I leave?" He asks, but blinks as Roy smirks at him.

"Don't be so hasty, there are conditions."

"Like what?" Ed asks suspiciously as he frowns, watching as Roy leans back casually in his chair.

"You're not going alone. On your first abroad mission? Of course not. You're getting assigned a little…extra muscle." Mustang grins. Ed stares at him, trying to make his mouth work several times before he settles for glaring.

"Extra muscle? I mostly have to talk, I barely have to lift a finger. Why are you sending me help?"

Roy snorts. "Deflate your ego there kid. You're first mission abroad is your first 'real' mission. I don't care if your just talking to locals, hell I don't care if your just sitting in your hotel room for the whole week, backup is going with you. At least until I'm satisfied that you can handle yourself out there in the real world."

Ed is quiet for several moments, although he continues to look thoroughly pissed, before he sighs and turns away.

"Do I at least get to know who it is?"

Roy smiles almost a little too brightly as his hands lace together on top of his desk. "I'll leave that as a surprise but I'm sure you're just going to love him."

* * *

"What should we do? He keeps coming back."

Tyki follows the source of the nurses' complaint to see Russell Tringham sitting in the waiting room. Except this time he isn't here with the illusion of seeing the doctor. He isn't trying to read a book or play with the toys like the first time he arrived.

He is fully alert and completely high strung.

He is a complete contrast to all the others in the waiting room, and even the humans can see it. No one is sitting around him and each time a nurse even walks near he is up on his feet.

"We could just kill him, get it over with." One of the nurses' offers with a shrug. There's a collective murmur of agreement.

"We could always show him his brother." Tyki suggests as he watches the boy currently run after one of the other nurses, the questions about Fletcher already spilling from his mouth and audible even at this distance.

"Why go through the trouble?" One of them sighs with an eye roll. "Killing him would be so much easier."

"And this is why you aren't in charge." Tyki replies icily. They go deathly silent. Noah's have been known for their short tempers and akuma's are nothing next to their strength. "Think about how an akuma is made. There needs to be sorrow, there needs to be grief, that teetering moment where all sanity is lost. We need to drive these people to that moment of insanity so then the Earl can help them choose and make akumas. They can't bring anyone back if they're dead. The Earl's army won't get any bigger if you kill every human who annoys you. Now go grab the boy and apologize for the lack of answers. Tell him that his brother is finally able to see visitors and we would be happy to escort him to his room."

Glances are exchanged before one of the nurses scuttles off. It's a few brief moments before she's back, Russell at her heels in his eagerness, though the tension is still pinching his eyes.

Tyki stops them as they enter the hallway, the one that transitions over to where Shou works, where the animals are kept.

"I'll escort him myself."

"Yes Lord Noah." The nurse replies with a quick bow before Tyki finds himself with the high strung blond. In all honesty Tyki doesn't know if the boy's brother is back with Shou. It's been close to a week and Shou only keeps the ones who survive. But if all else fails, the boy's sanity will be tested all the same.

The hallway turns and before he knows it, he's in front of the large double doors that will step him into the more gritty side.

The fun side.

Their sound proof so the moment he swings them open his ears are hit with a barrage of sounds. Birds and monkeys are screeching, dogs are barking, and in the midst of it all, he can hear the distinct sound of a human wailing. Even from their position in the doorway they can see most of the operating room, cages lining the room with various animals of various breeds and sizes. Several operating tables are set about, a few with patients already strapped to them, a few blaringly empty but blood still pooled in one. Charts and alchemic arrays bleed across the walls and the ceiling and it's like stepping into a completely different world.

In the middle of it all Tyki can already see Tucker, the mad alchemist bent over a body with a bloody scalpel glistening in his hands.

A hand fists in his shirt and Tyki pauses for just a moment, the thought of the boy readying to strike him crossing his mind, before he glances back at him.

The boy's face is the picture of terror and he grasped Tyki's sleeve in an attempt to stay upright. His mouth begins to try and move several times but no words hit the air.

Tyki smirks as he continues forward.

"I believe he's this way." He begins before he motions to Tucker, catching the alchemist's attention. "Oi, this one's looking for his brother."

Tucker's face wrinkles but he steps away from his table and peers up at Russell. Tyki can feel the boy beginning to tremble through the grip on his shirt. There's muttered mumbling from Tucker as he approaches before he nods to himself.

"Yes, yes, he looks like one of the others that was in last week. What was his name?"

It several minutes before Russell realizes the question is for him.

"F-Fletcher." He manages, his voice making a noise between a squeak and a gulp, almost garbling the name. Yet somehow Tucker understands him and his eyes seem to flash.

"Oh! He was wonderful! Still quite young and everything was in order. It was a shame that the cough carried over though." He rambled as he began in a flurry of motion, striding towards the cages with purpose. He stopped at a rather large one and started with the lock for a moment before swinging the door open.

"H-Hey…what do you mean? W-what…what are you s-saying?" Russell asked, finally coming out of his shock as Tucker's words seemed to digest. Tucker didn't even spare him a glance as he coaxed the creature inside the cage, out.

It looked like several things at once. It was big and bulky like a bear, but the skin was taut and patchy, the hair matted and the face elongated like a wolf, a fleck of what can only be called freckles, covering its body. As it stepped out of its confinement the head suddenly bucked to the side, the body curling in on itself as it began to shake and a dry rasping noise began to escape it.

Mutilated as it was, the sound of coughing was still recognizable.

"Oh my…" Russell started as his grip finally fell, and he took two stumbling steps back. Huge blue eyes swung up to him and he felt his stomach quiver and roll as he recognized the humanity staring back at him, the intelligence…the pain.

"…bro…ther…?" The creature gurgled hoarsely.

Russell felt the world drop from under him as the horror and dread that he had been suppressing since walking through those doubles doors finally enveloped him, his eyes stinging and watering as his legs gave way and sent him to his knees.

He could only stare at those blue eyes.

"…brother…?" The creature continued. "…Russ…ell…?"

"Hmm, he has trouble with full sentences like my Nina. But it could just be the infection brought over from his cough. If I could just—"

Whatever ideas Tucker may or may not have, Russell didn't hear. Tyki bent down to right the boy but the moment his hand touched his shoulder Russell was off like a missile. He jackknifed to his feet and slammed past Tyki, tears falling from his eyes and the scream tearing from his throat almost inhuman as he bee lined for Tucker. Several of the animals copied his cry and shook their cages as he ran into the older man and they went crashing into the ground, the now chimera Fletcher watching in fear as he scuttled away from the scuffle.

Tyki blinked twice before he rolled his eyes and descended into the fight calmly.


End file.
